Little Man 2006
This was the official website for the 2006 comedy, Little Man.
Content is from the site's archived pages and other outside reviews.
After leaving the prison, the dwarf criminal Calvin Sims joins to his moron brother Percy to steal an expensive huge diamond in a jewelry for the mobster Walken. They are chased by the police, and Calvin hides the stone in the purse of the executive Vanessa Edwards, whose husband Darryl Edwards wants to have a baby. Percy convinces Calvin to dress like a baby and be left in front of the Edwards's house to get inside the house and retrieve the diamond. Darryl and Vanessa keep Calvin for the weekend and decide to adopt him, while Walken threatens Darryl to get the stone back.
Featured Crew
Keenen Ivory Wayans
Director, Screenplay
Shawn Wayans
Screenplay
Marlon Wayans
Screenplay
TOMATOMETER : CRITICS 12% | AUDIENCE 54%
Critics Consensus: Another gimmicky comedy from the Wayans brothers, Little Man comes with the requisite raunchiness, but forgot to bring the laughs.
CRITICS REVIEWS
JM Tyree
Time Out Top Critic
August 31, 2006
Keenen Ivory Wayans is best known for ‘Scary Movie’ and the American comedy sketch show ‘In Living Color’, which launched the careers of Jim Carrey and Jamie Foxx. Brothers Marlon and Shawn complete the Wayans comedic dynasty – the publicity for ‘Little Man’ calls them ‘the most successful African-American filmmakers in cinema history’ (Spike Lee and John Singleton, take note).
‘Little Man’, like Wayans’ previous film, ‘White Chicks’, fails as check-your-brain-at-the-door entertainment, and for the same reason: it’s a concept, not a movie. The concept is that Marlon Wayans’ face looks really funny shrunk down and digitally attached to the body of child actor Linden Porco. Together, they’re Calvin Simms, a midget gangster on the lam who, disguised as a baby, hides himself and his loot in the household of newly-engaged Darryl (Shawn Wayans) and Vanessa (Kerry Washington).
They take him in. Eventually little ‘pumpkin butt’ gets unmasked, but not before endearing himself to the couple by making out with their busty white friend, sexually harassing a busty beer-girl at a hockey game, and watching the couple have sex.
It’s adult slapstick comedy for children, apparently. Keenen Ivory Wayans loved the nine-year-old Porco because ‘Linden got every joke.’ I couldn’t shake the image of Porco wandering around without a head. Marlon Wayans achieves an occasional laugh using only his face, helped by a series of really cute baby hats. He did his scenes within the solitary confinement of a green screen stage – sad, no?
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Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com
July 14, 2006 | Rating: 1/5
In spite of the admirable effort that the Wayans brothers went to in digitally transplanting Marlon Wayans head and facial expressions onto the two-foot-six-inch body of a nine-year-old actor (Linden Porco) "Little Man" is a bawdy and violent comedy that rankles more than tickles. Career criminal dwarf Calvin (Marlon Wayans) has just been released from prison when he steals a gigantic diamond that he's soon forced to hide with newlyweds Daryl and Vanessa (Kerry Washington and Shawn Wayans). Calvin and his half-witted accomplice (Tracy Morgan) dress Calvin up like a baby and leave him on the couple's doorstep to gain access to the diamond in time to turn it over to an impatient mob boss (Chazz Palminteri). The curious couple gradually decides to keep Calvin as their own even as the diminutive outlaw's true colors start to show. The film's overreaching attempts at inventive humor slip into sheer gibberish.
Rated PG-13. 97 mins. (C-) (Two Stars)
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Philip French Observer (UK)
January 20, 2007
(90 mins, 12A)
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans; starring Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Kerry Washington, Chazz Palminteri
The work of the Wayans brothers, Little Man is even less funny than their last comedy, White Chicks, and enough to get them permanently evicted from the house of mirth. Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, it stars Marlon Wayans as Calvin Sims, a three-foot dwarf on the run following a botched jewelery heist during which he's hidden a giant diamond in the handbag of a black businesswoman and her husband (Shawn Wayans).
To regain the jewel, he pretends to be a baby left on their doorstep and, eager to have a child, they more or less adopt him. Much urination, farting, defecation, breast fondling, penis displaying, lechery, homophobic joking and painful mayhem ensues, in which every missile flies with the accuracy of an Exocet to the nearest groin. Raucously rabble-rousing, yes; uproariously Rabelaisian, no.
As a longtime fan of the Wayans brothers, I went into Little Man really wanting to like it. Their style—over-the-top, unapologetically silly, sometimes totally ridiculous—is usually exactly my kind of humor. And to be fair, there are moments in this one that reminded me why I’ve laughed so hard at their other movies over the years. But overall… this one just landed somewhere in the middle for me.
I actually took my younger sister to see it to celebrate something much bigger than the movie itself—she had just completed treatment for binge eating disorder. So the night already felt meaningful, and honestly, that probably shaped how I experienced the film. We were both just happy to be out, laughing a little, and enjoying a normal moment together again.
The premise of Little Man—a criminal posing as a baby to retrieve a stolen diamond—is exactly the kind of wild, anything-goes concept the Wayans are known for. And yeah, seeing Marlon Wayans digitally shrunk down and acting like a baby is good for a few laughs at first. But after a while, the joke kind of wears thin. It starts to feel less like a full movie and more like one extended gag that keeps repeating itself.
That said, I did appreciate the familiar chemistry between Marlon and Shawn Wayans. Their back-and-forth still has that chaotic, brotherly energy that’s carried a lot of their past films. And if you’re already a fan of their brand of humor—lots of slapstick, crude jokes, and pushing boundaries—you’ll probably find at least a handful of scenes that hit.
But I can’t ignore that a lot of the comedy leans heavily into the same type of jokes over and over again. It’s not that I’m above that kind of humor—it’s just that here, it didn’t always feel fresh or clever. Even some critics have said it feels more like a gimmick than a fully developed story, and I can see why.
Still, the movie ended up being kind of secondary to what the night meant. After the show, we went out to eat, and that was the real moment I’ll remember. My sister handled it with so much confidence—no stress, no old patterns creeping in. Just enjoying the meal, being present, and feeling good. I was honestly so proud of her.
So yeah, as a movie? Little Man is just okay. Not the Wayans at their best, but not completely without laughs either. As an experience tied to that night? It’ll always mean more to me than the film itself. Sally Tomlinson
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AUDIENCE REVIEWS
*½ JJ H
June 30, 2008
Completely awful. Way too many "blank to the crotch" and not enough clever jokes. I enjoy potty humor, but these were not good dick and fart jokes. Instead they focused on the slapstick and the punch to the groin jokes.
Occasionally, there was something that was funny, but that funny joke would go on way too far to the point, where it was no longer funny, but annoying.
Not recommended. Unless you think Marlon Wayons head on a midgets body is funny, as well as Marlon Wayons punching Shawn Wayons in the crotch many times.
You've been warned!
*Private U J
une 30, 2008
can't believe i watched the whole thing
*****PENNY
June 30, 2008
GREAT MOVIE, FUNNY MOVIE, THIS MOVIE IS THE ONLY MOVIE THAT KEEP MY 2YR. OLD QUIET AND SITTING IN ONE PLACE.
AGAIN GREAT MOVIE!
*****pretty p
June 30, 2008
awsome this is sooo hularius this was like ssoo funy
Karl H
June 30, 2008
Why don't the Wayans stop making movies?
*****Amanda * June 29, 2008
i love how percy always gets b**** slapped!!!! funny
*** ½ Jasmine C
June 29, 2008
Very funny, I was rolling most of the time.
* Private U
June 28, 2008
Great movie Laugh all the way through
Angela16099435 Angela June 28, 2008
Impatiently waiting for the retirement (or death) of the Wayans brothers.
*****pete 1
June 28, 2008
very funny,same sort of /level of humour as white chicks or scary movie
who cares if it is a rip off a bugs bunny cartoon
Patrick S
June 28, 2008
would not watch this movie if i was set up like "a clockwork orange"
½ Paul C
June 27, 2008
Dire - a completely laugh-free comedy, which in itself is impressive. Half a star for the totally gorgeous Brittany Daniel.
***** Troublemaker
June 27, 2008
awsome very funny i loved it
***Cindy T
June 27, 2008
this was alright, pretty funny. though it makes you think and wonder whether that's possible. sure it's funny, but still.. it had no sense of realism. but focusing on the funny side, it was good.
***½ Ray M
June 27, 2008
The Wayans brothers strike again, funny as heck a must see movie
Katie W
June 26, 2008
Is there an "EXTREMELY NOT INTERESTED" button?
***½I Tell The Girls Like Doritos That?s Nacho Cheese
June 26, 2008
funny movie but not a movie you'll buy on dvd you'll wait till it comes on t.v
***** kenzie
June 26, 2008
this movie is so cool
**½ Sean T
June 25, 2008
Wholly unremarkable
Little Man (2006): An In-Depth Look at the Controversial Comedy
Released on July 14, 2006, "Little Man" is a comedy film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and co-written by Keenen along with his brothers, Shawn and Marlon Wayans. The film stars Marlon Wayans as Calvin Sims, a small-statured criminal who masquerades as a baby to retrieve a stolen diamond from an unsuspecting couple. Despite its commercial success, "Little Man" received largely negative reviews and remains one of the more polarizing entries in the Wayans brothers' filmography.
Plot Summary
"Little Man" follows Calvin Sims, a recently paroled thief who, with his accomplice Percy (Tracy Morgan), attempts to steal a valuable diamond. The heist goes awry, and Calvin hides the diamond in the purse of Vanessa Edwards (Kerry Washington), who is out shopping with her husband, Darryl (Shawn Wayans). To retrieve the diamond, Calvin disguises himself as a baby and gets left on the Edwards' doorstep. The couple, eager to have a child, takes him in, leading to a series of comedic and awkward situations as Calvin attempts to blend in while searching for the diamond.
Production Details
The concept for "Little Man" was inspired by the 1954 Bugs Bunny cartoon "Baby Buggy Bunny," in which Bugs Bunny takes in a foundling who is actually a wanted dwarf bank robber. Filming took place in Vancouver from September 17, 2005, to January 21, 2006. Marlon Wayans' head was digitally superimposed onto the body of a nine-year-old actor, Linden Porco, using a greenscreen technique. This special effect allowed Marlon to portray the character of Calvin with a comically exaggerated appearance.
Box Office Performance
Despite its poor critical reception, "Little Man" was a box office success. It grossed approximately $58.6 million domestically and $101.6 million worldwide against a production budget of $64 million. The film debuted at number two in the United Kingdom, behind "You, Me and Dupree."
Critical Reception
"Little Man" was met with predominantly negative reviews. It holds a 12% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus describing it as another gimmicky comedy from the Wayans brothers that comes with requisite raunchiness but lacks genuine humor. Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a score of 26 out of 100, indicating generally unfavorable reviews. Despite this, audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of B+ on a scale from A to F.
Reviews and Analysis
Critics widely panned "Little Man" for its crude humor and reliance on slapstick comedy. In his review, JM Tyree of Time Out called it "a concept, not a movie," criticizing the film for its reliance on Marlon Wayans' digitally altered appearance rather than substantial comedic content. Cole Smithey, writing for ColeSmithey.com, described the film as "a bawdy and violent comedy that rankles more than tickles," highlighting its overreliance on physical comedy and lack of intelligent humor.
Philip French of The Observer was similarly unimpressed, suggesting that the film was enough to get the Wayans brothers "permanently evicted from the house of mirth." French criticized the film's crude humor, including its frequent use of jokes involving urination, defecation, and sexual innuendo, deeming it unfunny and offensive.
Despite the critical drubbing, "Little Man" found a more receptive audience among certain viewers. Some praised the film for its outlandish humor and the Wayans brothers' commitment to their comedic style. Audience reviews on platforms like Rotten Tomatoes were mixed, with some viewers appreciating the film's absurdity and others echoing the critics' sentiments about its lack of wit and overreliance on gross-out gags.
Cultural and Social Significance
"Little Man" occupies a unique place in the cultural landscape due to its controversial nature and the prominence of the Wayans brothers in American comedy. The film's concept of a grown man pretending to be a baby to infiltrate a household is a provocative and unusual premise, reflective of the Wayans' tendency to push the boundaries of mainstream comedy.
The Wayans brothers have long been known for their willingness to tackle taboo subjects and challenge social norms through humor. From "In Living Color," which launched their careers, to films like "Scary Movie" and "White Chicks," the Wayans have consistently employed a comedic style that blends satire, slapstick, and social commentary. "Little Man" continues this tradition, though its execution left much to be desired according to many critics.
The film also sparked discussions about the representation of little people in media. The decision to digitally alter Marlon Wayans' appearance to create the character of Calvin Sims raised questions about the ethical implications of such special effects. While the film intended to create humor through the juxtaposition of an adult head on a child's body, some viewed it as exploitative and insensitive.
Wayans Brothers' Comedy Legacy
The Wayans brothers have established a significant legacy in the world of comedy. Keenen Ivory Wayans, the eldest, is often regarded as the driving force behind their creative endeavors. He mentored his younger siblings and played a pivotal role in shaping their comedic voices. Marlon and Shawn Wayans have also carved out their niches, contributing to a family brand that is synonymous with bold, boundary-pushing humor.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marlon Wayans discussed the dynamic between the brothers and their approach to comedy. He emphasized the importance of chemistry and shared experiences, noting that their upbringing in a large, close-knit family influenced their comedic style. Keenen, as the "godfather" of the group, has been instrumental in guiding their creative processes and encouraging them to explore diverse comedic avenues.
The Wayans' films often reflect their desire to entertain a broad audience while addressing social issues in a humorous context. While not all their projects have been critically acclaimed, their impact on the comedy genre is undeniable. "Little Man," despite its flaws, exemplifies their commitment to pushing the envelope and exploring unconventional comedic territory.
"Little Man" is a testament to the Wayans brothers' audacious approach to comedy. Though the film was widely criticized for its crude humor and lack of depth, it achieved commercial success and remains a notable entry in their filmography. The movie's controversial premise and execution sparked discussions about comedic boundaries and representation in media, underscoring the Wayans' influence on American comedy.
Ultimately, "Little Man" serves as a reminder of the Wayans brothers' enduring presence in the entertainment industry. Their willingness to take risks and challenge norms, even at the expense of critical acclaim, highlights their unique position in the world of comedy. For fans and critics alike, "Little Man" is a film that continues to provoke strong reactions and fuel conversations about the nature of humor and its place in popular culture.