Movies You Should Netflix

Since this is one of the the first movie reviews posted here at The Dirtywhirl, let's take a quick look at the rating system that we use to evaluate these feats of cinematic achievement (or lackthereof):

100 - Classic Film; One Of The Best Of All Time
99-90 - Exceptional Work; Rush Out And Netflix This
89-80 - Very, Very Good; You Should Still Go Out And Netflix This
79-70 - Not Bad At All; Might Actually Be Worth Your Time
69-60 - Has Its Moments But On The Whole... Meh
59-50 - Won't Make Your Eyes Bleed; Won't Make You Smile, Either
49-0 - Don't Waste Your Time; You're Smarter Than This (Probably)

Now... onto the reviews:

Little Children
Suburbia, for all of its cheerful brightness on the surface can often be a dark and twisted place, which is precisely what director Todd Field (In The Bedroom) examines in his latest film, Little Children. Little Children is a haunting character study on the power of secrets and frustration that is at times hard to watch but is also incredibly compelling. Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind), stars as Sarah, a housewife who is bored with every aspect of her life: her Internet-porn addicted husband, her cavernous house, even her own daughter. This boredom thrusts her into an (at first) platonic friendship with Brad (Patrick Wilson, Hard Candy) who has issues of his own – he’s a failed law school graduate who is subtly chided by his more successful and ambitious documentarian wife, Kathy (Jennifer Connelly, Requiem For A Dream) for his continued inability to pass the bar exam. On a day out at a local playground with his son, Brad and Sarah have their first chance meeting, which leads to regular outings at the community pool, which eventually leads to fucking in Sarah’s laundry room and attic while their children nap in a nearby bedroom. Simultaneously, a convicted sex offender named Ronnie (Jackie Earle Haley, The Bad News Bears) has moved into their neighborhood and is enduring a constant struggle not only with disgusted and outraged neighbors, but with himself as he struggles to ignore his urges and heed his mother’s pleas to “be a good boy.” Almost every character in Little Children wants to change his or her life, yet is either unable or unwilling to do what is necessary to enact that change. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Tom Perotta, Field structures the film so that it feels like a moving narrative as the characters’ actions slowly burn (much like the symbolic heat wave that hits midway through the movie) towards a climax where their lives intersect in chilling fashion. Although Wilson is a bit of a cipher and Connelly is somewhat wasted in her role, both Winslet and Haley give powerhouse performances that were well deserving of their Oscar nominations. Winslet deftly conveys the frustration that Sarah feels as she realizes that she’s overqualified for the life that she has come to lead, and Haley is remarkable in portraying the internal struggle and disgust that Ronnie feels for himself while still finding enjoyment in his baser instincts. Little Children is definitely not a film for everyone, but those who can stomach it cannot help but be moved by it.

Dirty Rating: 88/100

Other (Not As Well-Written) Reviews Of Little Children On Metacritic