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| “You expect ME to tell her she didn’t get the black-ish spin-off?! This is why she’s making a movie jump now!” April Williams (Issa Rae) has a very uncomfortable meeting with her now-13 again boss Jordan Sanders (Marsai Martin) in a scene from director Tina Gordon’s comedy LITTLE. Credit: © 2019 Universal Pictures. All rights reserved. |
WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:
DIRECTOR(S): Tina Gordon
Now, the tables have turned and Jordan has been mean to the wrong person, which is why she wakes up only to find herself facing her worst fear: Being 13 again.
Cursed to relive the worse age of her life when she was little, Jordan finds herself out of her element. Now, she is forced to rely on April to run her company, can’t spend any quality time with her “D-Boy” (Luke James), drink, drive … Or, after a Child Protective Services agent (Rachel Dratch) is called to her home where April is posing as her aunt, the one thing she hates more than anything else in the world: A return to her old middle school. But with a major pitch to video game upstart Connor (Mikey Day) that could make or break her company on the line, the last thing Jordan has time for is dealing with mean-spirited classmates like Jasmine (Eva Carlton).
Throw in a perfect balance of youthful exuberance by the film’s young cast to work alongside the adults – Hall, by the way, does her job well in her limited but largely crucial screen time – and Little delivers original laughs by putting a fresh coast of paint on the “fish out of water” scenario body switch movies have given of such a familiar formula. Little is so well done that its blackness never is a dominant trait of the film; sure, there are some “black girl magic” references and whatnot, but if you go into Little thinking its going to touch the same issues you’d find in a typical story arc of black-ish, you’ll either be highly disappointed or highly surprised. Little is just a good film that stars a large African-American cast, not a film with a lot of African-Americans that just happens to be good – that distinction. As African-Americans continue to prove there’s more to the black entertainment experience than just being pimps, thugs and slaves – they can be quirky, insecure (see what I did there, Issa Rae fans), have the same concerns as anyone else about work and life, etc. – Little delivers a big step forward in making sure that ideal isn’t forgotten by Hollywood anytime soon.
Thus, much like a middle school talent show that actually features more talent than you’d expect, Little delivers big entertainment value mature (and maturing) audiences will enjoy.
Word is leaking out from Deadline.com that Netflix is negotiating a deal to acquire the world rights to the documentary that premiered last Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah.
At first, the culture clash is humorous. Transplanted Chinese workers attend trainings on dealing with their peculiarly casual and “chatty” American counterparts. But tensions mount. Slack safety standards and meager wages ignite serious doubts among the American rank and file. Low productivity and talk of unionization trigger a cascade of controls from Chinese management. Meanwhile, something ominous—the specter of job loss from automation—looms.
Incredibly timely and relevant. Perhaps the most urgent, necessary film of the year in its ability to capture the frustration and anger of how many Americans feel today.
Local filmmaker Jason Hampton will hold a screening of his film Got My Hustle Up tonight at the Danbarry Dayton South at 7pm. Tickets are available at the theater. The film actually premiered on October 31st at the Victoria Theater and has also been shown at The Neon.
