Little Man Tate

"It's not what he knows. It's what he understands."

1991 1h 39m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 361

DramaFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius, she is determined to ensure that Fred has all the opportunities that he needs, and that he is not taken advantage of by people who forget that his extremely powerful intellect is harboured in the body and emotions of a child.

“It's not what he knows. It's what he understands.”

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Cast

Jodie Foster
Dede Tate
Dianne Wiest
Jane Grierson
Adam Hann-Byrd
Fred Tate
Harry Connick Jr.
Eddie
David Hyde Pierce
Garth Emmerick
Debi Mazar
Gina
P.J. Ochlan
Damon Wells
Michael Shulman
Matt Montini

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jodie Foster
Writers: Scott Frank
Languages: Hungarian, French, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Hungarian, French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jodie Foster, shot by Mike Southon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Isham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lynzee Klingman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jodie Foster and Dianne Wiest and Adam Hann-Byrd carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It's not what he knows. It's what he understands.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0102316 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jodie Foster directs. Mike Southon behind the camera. Mark Isham scores. Lynzee Klingman cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Hungarian, French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

135 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Hungarian, French, English.
3Directed by Jodie Foster, shot by Mike Southon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mark Isham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Lynzee Klingman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jodie Foster and Dianne Wiest and Adam Hann-Byrd carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It's not what he knows. It's what he understands.".
8IMDB entry: tt0102316 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "jealousy", "waitress", "single parent", "intelligence".
10Released under 14 different titles around the world.