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TADPOLE (Gary Winick) Rating: NNN
Tadpole is a tiny, Woody Allen-ish story about a young man (Aaron Stanford) who comes home from boarding school for Thanksgiving with hopes of doing something about the huge crush he has on his stepmother (Sigourney Weaver), only to find himself attracted to her best friend (Bebe Neuwirth). Shot on digital video and looking rather like a Spanish soap opera (think bad lighting and poorly separated colours), this ultra-low-budget production has the benefit of a strong supporting cast: John Ritter, Ron Rifkin and Robert Iler from the Sopranos. The highlight here is the spectacularly malicious wit streaming out of Neuwirth’s performance as the “older woman,” who not only beds the innocent hero but is continually amused by his discomfort and fear of exposure. 77 minutes.
