Overview
A tale of longing and discontent unfolds in the quiet suburbs, where desires clash with societal expectations.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- tense
- intimate
- serious movie night
- literary adaptation evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an unflinching yet humane examination of flawed individuals and suburban life.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sarah and Brad’s poolside connection unfolds amid tightly managed domestic lives and judgmental neighborhood routines.
The film interweaves Sarah and Brad’s affair with Ronnie’s reintegration and Larry’s fixation, giving each troubled figure emotional complexity.
Sarah feels trapped in a loveless marriage, while Brad resists adult responsibility and other characters struggle against limiting identities.
Parks, pools, homes, and neighborhood streets frame adultery, sexual misconduct, resentment, and obsessive pursuit.
Films like Little Children, and why
Revolutionary Road
shared suburban discontent, adultery, emotional restraint, and penetrating domestic drama
American Beauty
shared critique of suburban conformity, marital dissatisfaction, and morally conflicted characters
The Ice Storm
shared literary suburban drama, frustrated domestic lives, and adultery as escape
The Hours
shared humane treatment of flawed adults, social isolation, and uncomfortable moral entanglements
Movie Details
- Director
- Todd Field
- Release Date
- 2006-10-06
- Runtime
- 137 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (1201)
Cast
- Kate Winslet
- Patrick Wilson
- Jennifer Connelly
- Gregg Edelman
- Sadie Goldstein
- Ty Simpkins
- Noah Emmerich
- Jackie Earle Haley
- Phyllis Somerville
- Helen Carey
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Little Children about?
- In a Massachusetts suburb, forbidden companionship and unresolved shame expose the private desperation beneath respectable family life.
- What is Little Children like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Little Children as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Little Children violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Little Children as mild.
- What did critics think of Little Children?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an unflinching yet humane examination of flawed individuals and suburban life.
- Which films are like Little Children?
- Films with a similar feel include Revolutionary Road, American Beauty, The Ice Storm, and The Hours.
- How long is Little Children?
- Little Children runs 137 minutes.
- Where can I watch Little Children?
- In United States, Little Children streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
