Holly
07-21-2006, 08:35 AM
Anyone who knows the work of the Wayans brothers, from “In Living Color” to “White Chicks,” knows to expect the offbeat from them ... but Marlon Wayans as a baby?
That stretches credibility to its limits, and if you're willing to roll with the premise, the new comedy “Little Man” does furnish some laughs. But you have to really work hard to believe the characters played by Wayans' brother Damon and Kerry Washington would be naive enough to believe Marlon's character is an abandoned baby instead of an adult thief of dwarf size.
The crook wants to retrieve a jewel that has ended up in the couple's possession, so he poses as a child to ingratiate himself into their lives; that isn't tough to do, since they've wanted an offspring anyway. At the same time, the criminal has to downplay his natural instincts. When he doesn't, and he addresses others exactly the way he wants to, the effect is along the lines of “Baby Bob.” It can be hilarious to hear a kid talk and act like an adult ... but in the other case, it was an actual baby supposedly doing the talking.
The literal “Little Man” of the new movie has been created through movie technology that grafts Marlon Wayans' head onto an actual dwarf's body. Just looking at his face, you know he could never be as young as he pretends to be, which makes everyone in the story who accepts that notion look pretty dumb.
On the other hand, no one is likely to go into ”Little Man” expecting to see Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking as characters. Bottom line: the bigger a Wayans fan you are, and the more willing you are to suspend your disbelief (and I didn't get very far on that count), the happier you'll be with this movie.
(Rated PG-13)
That stretches credibility to its limits, and if you're willing to roll with the premise, the new comedy “Little Man” does furnish some laughs. But you have to really work hard to believe the characters played by Wayans' brother Damon and Kerry Washington would be naive enough to believe Marlon's character is an abandoned baby instead of an adult thief of dwarf size.
The crook wants to retrieve a jewel that has ended up in the couple's possession, so he poses as a child to ingratiate himself into their lives; that isn't tough to do, since they've wanted an offspring anyway. At the same time, the criminal has to downplay his natural instincts. When he doesn't, and he addresses others exactly the way he wants to, the effect is along the lines of “Baby Bob.” It can be hilarious to hear a kid talk and act like an adult ... but in the other case, it was an actual baby supposedly doing the talking.
The literal “Little Man” of the new movie has been created through movie technology that grafts Marlon Wayans' head onto an actual dwarf's body. Just looking at his face, you know he could never be as young as he pretends to be, which makes everyone in the story who accepts that notion look pretty dumb.
On the other hand, no one is likely to go into ”Little Man” expecting to see Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking as characters. Bottom line: the bigger a Wayans fan you are, and the more willing you are to suspend your disbelief (and I didn't get very far on that count), the happier you'll be with this movie.
(Rated PG-13)