| Little Man Tate | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Jodie Foster |
| Produced by | Peggy Rajski Scott Rudin |
| Written by | Scott Frank |
| Starring | Jodie Foster Dianne Wiest Adam Hann-Byrd Harry Connick Jr. |
| Cinematography | Mike Southon |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures Corporation |
| Release date(s) | October 18, 1991 |
| Running time | 99 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10,000,000 |
| Box office | $25,010,896 (USA) |
Little Man Tate is a 1991 motion picture drama directed by and starring Jodie Foster.
It tells the story of Fred Tate, a 7-year-old child prodigy who struggles to self-actualize in a social and psychological construct that largely fails to accommodate his intelligence. Foster plays Fred’s mother Dede, who attempts to give her son a "normal" childhood while simultaneously feeding his intellectual curiosity.
Adam Hann-Byrd co-stars as her son, and the cast also includes Harry Connick, Jr. and Dianne Wiest.
The film marked Foster’s directorial debut. Most of it was shot in Over-the-Rhine and downtown Cincinnati. Other locations include Cincinnati suburb Clifton, the Village of Indian Hill, The University of Cincinnati, specifically McMicken Hall, Miami University's Upham Hall and Acacia Fraternity House, and the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio. The movie grossed about $25 million.[1]
Tagline: It's not what he knows. It's what he understands.
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Dede Tate is a single mother, a working-class woman of average intelligence raising a 7-year-old boy who shows every indication of being a genius.
In most respects, Fred Tate is a normal child. He is polite and helpful around the house. But his reading and mathematics levels are rather astounding, and he plays the piano expertly as well.
Fred's intellect comes to the attention of Jane Grierson, a psychologist who runs a school for gifted kids. She seeks permission from Dede to admit Fred to the school, which likely can develop his intellectual gifts in a way that a public school can not. Dede is reluctant, though, preferring that Fred have a normal upbringing and also a bit put off by Jane's manner.
Dede consents. Fred fits in nicely at the institute, befriending Eddie, a man in his 20s who permits Fred to hang out with him. Fred also becomes acquainted with one of Jane's prized pupils, the brilliant but slightly bizarre Damon Wells, a whiz at math who wears a black cape wherever he goes.
Proud of her son's intelligence but anxious about his being unprepared emotionally, Dede must decide whether to let him continue in this special environment or return to their former life, when it was just mother and son.
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