neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Tadpole
	Gary Winick Aaron Stanford, Bebe Neuwirth, Sigourney Weaver, John Ritter, Robert Iler 2002		Pale shades of "The Graduate." Like that classic, "Tadpole" features a predatory older woman getting intimate with her friends' son, but its setting is Manhattan, not L.A., and its younger man is way younger (supposedly, 15 years old). Other elements differentiate this dry, mild coming-of-age comedy, lightly sprinkled with social satire, from "The Graduate," a superior movie. Primarily, there's the troublesome circumstance of Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford, looking closer to drinking age than teenage), the articulate preppie hero of "Tadpole," being in love with his stepmother (Sigourney Weaver). That whiff of incest might give viewers cause for consternation. And some may blanch at the overly permissive attitude on the part of Oscar's father (John Ritter), a liberal-minded college professor, as certain situations come to light. At least the cast is sound, with droll, casually sexy Bebe Neuwirth, the Broadway star best known as Lilith on TV's "Frasier" and "Cheers," standing out as Oscar's 40s-ish one-night stand.