Little Men (2016) was co-written and directed by Ira Sachs. Kathy (Jennifer Ehle), Brian (Greg Kinnear) and Jake (Theo Taplitz) Jardine move into an apartment in Brooklyn owned by Brian's late father. Leonor Calvelli (Paulina García), a native of Chile, rents the dress shop underneath the apartment. Her son Tony (Michael Barbieri) and Jake become friends.
Gentrification has made the neighborhood more desirable, and the Jardines want to raise the rent on the shop. Leonor is making enough money to live on, but there's no way she can afford higher rent. She points out that Brian's father always assumed she would stay in the shop at an affordable rent. Unfortunately, he didn't put this assumption into his will. The Jardines are not wealthy, and they need the money that the higher rent will give them.
The remainder of the plot plays out this situation, in which there is no good answer. The boys truly like each other. What do they do when their parents have become enemies?
Some reviewers have treated the plot as "no big deal." We're dealing with endless war and climate change. Why should anyone care about a woman driven out of her dress shop? That's true in a global sense, but if you're the person being driven out--or the person forcing the other person out--it's a big deal to you.
Paulina García is a truly great actor. We saw her in Gloria (2013). Here's what I wrote in my review of that film: This is an excellent movie because Paulina García is the perfect actor for the role. Her acting ability is wonderful. Although Gloria is quite attractive, she's in her fifties, and looks it. Apparently, Ms. García hasn't gone the Hollywood route of multiple plastic surgeries. She's an attractive 53-year-old woman playing an attractive 53-year-old woman. That makes the film both interesting and believable.
The rest of the cast--including the stars and the two young would-be stars--do a professional job, but they can't come up to the level of Paulina García. The movie is worth seeing just to watch her act.
We saw this film at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester, NY. It will work well on the small screen. In fact, there are endless shots of the boys together--one on a scooter and one on roller blades-- that are too long and somewhat dizzying. So, the movie might work better on the small screen!
This is one of those films that represents a real effort to make a great movie. However, in my opinion, it's a good movie, but not a great one. It's worth seeing if it's easy to find it. I don't think it's worth a special trip. On the other hand, Gloria is available to buy or rent on Amazon video (no DVD listed). If you want to see Paulina García in a superb film, I'd watch that instead.
