Parents' Guide to

Tadpole

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Coming-of-age comedy with some sex.

Movie PG-13 2002 77 minutes
Tadpole Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

Furat. 7
Furat. 7 Adult
April 23, 2016
age 18+

Good

Abugharbieh

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

TADPOLE centers on15-year-old prep school kid Oscar (Aaron Stanford), who has a crush on his stepmother. Oscar comes home for vacation determined to tell his stepmother how he feels. But it is harder than he thought. There are too many people around all the time. And, when he does get her alone, it is a challenge to get Eve (Sigourney Weaver) to see him as anything other than her husband's bright kid. But the biggest complication is that before he can tell Eve how he feels, he is seduced by her best friend, Diane (Bebe Neuwirth). So, Tadpole combines the coming-of-age movie with some moments of sex comedy. Or, maybe coming-of-age movies always have some moments of sex comedy – making fun of the terror and humiliation of loss of control.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Tadpole is as slight and charming as the title character. It's a silly premise, but it can be a silly time of life. Oscar is just outgrowing his childhood nickname of "Tadpole." He is a winning combination of young and old for his age.

The movie makes up for its weak and awkward premise with some moments of great humor and subtle insight. Oscar's talk with his professor father (John Ritter) about the importance of listening, and his own demonstration of the impact of paying attention on Diane's friends are nicely done. Stanford, Weaver, and Ritter are all first-rate and Bebe Neuwirth's performance is as dry and potent as a double martini.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how young teenagers often develop crushes on unattainable objects as a way of experiencing early feelings of love without the complication of intimacy.

Movie Details

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