Parents' Guide to

Little Boy

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Young boy's faith pulls heartstrings in sentimental drama.

Movie PG-13 2015 106 minutes
Little Boy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 28 parent reviews

ArthurDeStefano
ArthurDeStefano Adult
June 26, 2021
age 10+

Underdog movie for little Champions

This movie was absolutely amazing, the story is about a young boy who sadly is bullied because of his size. He has no friends his age, but is best friend is his father. Who goes on adventures with his son. He always encourages his son. His Father goes to war, and the boy was in such a depression until one day the boy becomes friends with a Japanese man, even thought the town folks hate this man because he is Japanese. WW2 was happening alot of racial tension between Japanese and Americans. But a beautiful friendship blossoms from this between the boy and the man. This movie talks about having faith, and teaches about doing good to others. Looking past the outside of an individual and look at the heart. This movie is a tear jerker, you will cry out of sorrow and joy. The acting was superb the writing was amazing done. You will get caught up in emotions over this movie. This movie is also about overcoming bullies, standing up for yourself. This is a must watch movie. Especially in the society will live in today. Where hatred is all around us, when need movies like this, ones that speak of hope,faith, families, overcoming obstacles. Please watch this movie it is one of the best movies I have ever watched.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
iamxt1na
iamxt1na Adult
October 27, 2020
age 11+

Little Boy is Heart Warming

It was an entertaining story of a cute little boy with a big faith. I enjoyed it!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 28 parent reviews

What's the Story?

LITTLE BOY is the story of Pepper Busbee (Jakob Salvati), a sweet kid in O'Hare, California, who's always been far tinier than his peers. But Pepper doesn't care that he's 8 years old and only 39 inches tall, because his father, James (Michael Rapaport), is his best friend, and they go on epic imaginary adventures together. When the Americans enter World War II, Pepper's older brother, London (David Henrie), tries to enlist but is medically disqualified for having flat feet, so their father goes instead. Pepper starts to believe he has miraculous powers to bring his father home and gets help from a local priest (Tom Wilkinson), who gives Pepper a list of good deeds to complete. One of the deeds is to befriend Mr. Hashimoto (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), a local Japanese American who deals daily with threats and harassment. Despite the ridicule of his classmates and the skepticism of the community, Pepper's "magic list" begins to seem like the real thing.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (28):
Kids say (12):

Little Boy has general-audience appeal, particularly for families longing for some good, old-fashioned Americana. Director Alejandro Monteverde (Bella) is committed to making Catholic faith-based films, and this one is unlike many overly preachy evangelical offerings. Pepper is reminiscent of a young Owen Meany -- or Simon Birch -- a small person who's capable of big miracles through his faith. Little Pepper's love for his father, who took him to plenty of matinees about swashbuckling heroes, is the movie's driving force, and that father-son bond is undeniably beautiful.

As Pepper goes on his quest to fulfill his list (shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, etc.), he gets to know Mr. Hashimoto better and realizes there's much more to him than the angry men (including his brother) shouting racial epithets could know. The movie occasionally goes overboard with sentimentality, and young Salvati can swing from adorable to treacly, but the story is still a lovely tribute to the power of friendship, faith, and family.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Little Boy's messages. How does it depict the issues of faith and family? Why is Pepper so sure his list will bring his father home?

  • Since Pepper was himself bullied, why do you think it's easy for him to call Mr. Hashimoto names? What does Pepper learn about pre-judging others?

  • Pepper and Mr. Hashimoto have a unique friendship. What do they teach each other?

  • Compare this movie to others about kids living through war time. What do they have in common? How are they different?

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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