Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- serious
- foreboding
- intellectual
- historical film night
- serious viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film’s subject inherently dramatic but faulted its lackluster execution, historical distortions, and simplified characterization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Oppenheimer and the scientists confront the destructive implications of the weapon they are building under Groves's command.
The film reenacts the Manhattan Project while its reception specifically notes historical distortion for dramatic purposes.
The central dramatic emphasis is the relationship between scientific director J. Robert Oppenheimer and military commander Leslie Groves.
The project’s atomic-bomb test and the characters’ debates and nightmares create an atmosphere of looming planetary terror.
Films like Fat Man and Little Boy, and why
Oppenheimer
historical drama about scientists and military leaders confronting the moral consequences of atomic weapons
The Beginning or the End
serious World War II historical drama centered on the development and use of the atomic bomb
The Day After Trinity
intellectual wartime drama about scientific responsibility, institutional power, and destructive technology
The Imitation Game
character-driven historical drama about wartime scientific innovation and ethical compromise
Movie Details
- Director
- Roland Joffé
- Release Date
- 1989-10-20
- Runtime
- 127 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (170)
Cast
- Paul Newman
- Dwight Schultz
- Bonnie Bedelia
- John Cusack
- Laura Dern
- Ron Frazier
- John C. McGinley
- Natasha Richardson
- Ron Vawter
- Michael Brockman
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Fat Man and Little Boy about?
- A tense historical drama about the scientists and soldiers whose wartime collaboration created the atomic bomb while exposing the moral cost of technological power.
- What is Fat Man and Little Boy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fat Man and Little Boy as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Fat Man and Little Boy violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Fat Man and Little Boy as mild.
- What did critics think of Fat Man and Little Boy?
- Critics broadly found the film’s subject inherently dramatic but faulted its lackluster execution, historical distortions, and simplified characterization.
- Which films are like Fat Man and Little Boy?
- Films with a similar feel include Oppenheimer, The Beginning or the End, The Day After Trinity, and The Imitation Game.
- How long is Fat Man and Little Boy?
- Fat Man and Little Boy runs 127 minutes.
- Where can I watch Fat Man and Little Boy?
- In United States, Fat Man and Little Boy is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home.
