DVD Review: "Little Children" (2007)

This engrossing flick about life in suburbia concerns the attraction between an out-of-work dad and a stay at home mom who are driven into each other's arms by a nagging wife and a porn-addicted husband, respectively. Nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay) this year, "Little Children"'s side plots also feature a sympathetic child molester and a jock-ish former cop looking for redemption. Although it was shut out, you ought to give this one a look, if only for the top-drawer performance of Jackie Earle Haley, who plays the pedophile. Where "American Beauty" took on many of the same themes with bombast and exaggeration, this satirical look at human weakness is brighter, subtle and and more realistic, even if there are a few loose ends left hanging when things finish.

Overall rating: 8/10