Synopsis

After several years in prison, tough as nails but not quite three foot tall jewel thief, Calvin Sims has been parolled. But upon his release, he finds his former partner in crime Percy P has arranged one last job for them. A notorious crime boss has offered them $100,000 to steal the famous Queen Diamond. Because there‘s a glitch in the jewelry store‘s security system, Calvin assumes the job will be child‘s play. Until the heist goes bad and Calvin is forced to drop the jewel into the bag of customer Vanessa Edwards. Unaware of what has happened, Vanessa and her husband Darryln return to their suburban Chicago home unaware that they have become pawns in a high-stakes crime. Calvin and Percy follow them home. While eavesdropping through an opened window Calvin hears them discussing parenthood. Percy P comes up with the perfect plan to recover the Queen Diamond. He disguises Calvin as a toddler, places him in a basket with a note on the Edwards door and rings their doorbell. The Edwards fall for the crooks cunning manoeuvre to gain entrance to their home. Now all 'Baby Calvin' has to do is get back that Queen Diamond.

After The Adelaide Premiere

"I dont think I have laughed so much in ages, the movie was a total laugh from start to finish.... I thought it would be one of those movies that they show all the funny parts in the shorts..its hard to pick the funny parts as the whole cinema seemed to chuckle from begining to end" WN Adelaide "There were a couple of gross out comedy type moments, which you know you shouldn’t laugh at, but still had us laughing anyway. But by far the funniest parts were those that involved the little man using his child like appearance to be able to do what he would like to do as an adult. These were hysterical and good take on what we’d all do if given the chance." JM Adelaide "We were expecting a funny movie and we weren't disappointed. It was a good laugh and well worth seeing." DC Adelaide "A very funny movie, sometimes a bit cring-worthy and naughty, shouldn't laugh at times but couldn't help myself. No deep and meaningful story just pure entertainment." MD Adelaide

"Few good belly laughs in this movie, it was good to get a laugh without foul language. The little guy fascinated me, is he really that small? Les laughed out loud so thats a sure sign he enjoyed it. Me too." R&L R Adelaide "I found the film to be hilarious comedy. When I saw the trailer I thought it was just going to one of those oh hum American comedies which we tend to get a lot of instead I found the film entertaining with a pretty good story to it." AS Adelaide "Quite a light hearted film, just right for a Monday night. It had some very funny moments and there were certainly lots of laughter in the audience." CM Adelaide "... once the scenes started with the baby outfits, I couldn't stop laughing. It was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time." GH Adelaide

The Inside Story The critics are at it again! Yes, those cynical old prudes who wouldn't recognize a good laugh if it slapped them in the face are crying foul and damning the Wayan Bros after the release of their latest comedy, "Little Man". Of course they did that with every other film the Wayans had been involved in, so what's new? For those who have seen the trailers let me assure you, "you haven't seen all the funniest bits. There's a belly load of, nay a truckload laughs still left to enjoy." And don't worry about the storyline either and especially comments from 'critics' who point out that Calvin and Percy didn't have to go to such great lengths when it came to recovering the Queen Diamond they had stolen in a jewelery store hiest. They could have come back at night and recovered it. I give my readers a lot of credit for having a brain of their own, and I know that like me (and unlike some 'critics') it wouldn't take them long to work out that there wouldn't be a bloody film if that was the plot line. The idea of a pint sized (ie: aheight challenged individual) career crim being disguised as a baby and being left on the doorstep of a couple who are arguing over having a child leaves the plot open for every guilty pleasure the writers and the watching audience could imagine. And it does! And it's bloody funny! And, who cares whether it's politically correct. Bugga them all I say! I'm sick to death of all this politically correct crap as are a lot of people. The western world has become one big suck-up when it comes to political correctness. In many cases the drive for political correctness (or society gone mad) has alienated people in some sections of the community into a far worse situation than they were before. What realy narcs me is that the Wayan Bros, innovators Keenen Ivory, Shawn and Marlon Wayans are recognized by everyone in the industry as the most successful African-American filmmakers in cinema history. Everyone but the 'critics' it seems. The idea behind their latest film "Little Man" is as we say, a 'doozey'. So where did it come from? A trip to the local Video Store. "I saw a cover for a horror movie called Test Tube Baby, recalls director/ writer/producer Keenen Ivory Wayans. "I thought it was a funny idea. What if something went wrong with the first test tube baby and he didn‘t come out quite right?" That premise sparked the creative juices of the guys. "That was one crazy movie, but it sparked an idea in Keenen," says Writer/producer/star Shawn Wayans. "We thought there's something funny there, so we decided to kick it around for a while." It didn't take the Wayans long to come up with some 'wicked' ideas. "Once I'd gotten the image in my head, it was all about building a life for the little guy and figuring out a plot and a story," Keenen explained. But there were those who read the initial script and questioned the Wyans creativite sources. "When people read it they ask what we get high on to come up with our ideas and I tell them, green tea and Snickerdoodles", says Marlon. The real truth is that the Wayans Bros have very creative minds. "We just let our minds roll free," says Marlon. "I have to admit that our ideas are getting stranger and stranger as we go along. So far I‘ve played a white woman and a little person. I'm kind of scared to think what my brothers will have me doing next. Who knows, it'll probably be a little white alien." Rick Alvarez, who runs Wayans Bros Productions and who is their long-time producing partner revealled, "The Wayans brothers are very much into things like the Little Rascals, Bugs Bunny and the Three Stooges." And it seems that have an immense cache of ideas stored away, deep within their brains. "Coming up with an idea for a movie is never a problem for the Wayans Brothers," Alvarez says. "They‘ve got a million ideas, but there‘s always one that breaks through and we all get really excited about. We loved the concept of literally shrinking Marlon down to someone who was two and a half feet tall." That idea worked out well for the team who were looking for a project in which Shawn Wayans could play a father. "The guys have always loved movies about families adopting kids or about an unlikely parent with a kid who changes his life," Alvarez admits . "So, we thought it‘d be a lot of fun if Shawn mistook Marlon for a baby. The family story surrounding Shawn‘s character really brings heart to the movie because he's playing a guy who wasn't very close to his own dad and wants to give his kid what he never had." "Whenever we put together a Wayans brothers film, we're always looking to one-up what we'd done before," Alvarez said. "With White Chicks, we turned these two African-American men into young white women. With Little Man we went from makeup effects to visual effects. When we started, we expected to have around 500 visual effects shots. By the end, we had close to 1000." When it came to playing the 'little man' Calvin Sims, Keenen says "Marlon, Damon, and Jim Carrey are the only three actors who could pull off something like this." So who is this Calvin Sims? "Calvin is a 2'6" and all piss and vinegar. He's hardcore. He was the tough guy in jail. But he‘s never had love," explains Marlon. "He was abandoned by his parents, so he's got a chip on his shoulder." What everyone will want to know is how did they shrink a 6' 2" man down to 2'6". The Calvin Sims character is a composite performance of Marlon Wayans' head and nine-year-old child actor Linden Porco's body. All the acting Marlon did in front of the camera took place on a green screen stage, mostly alone. It will also surprise many to discover, "Though Shawn and Marlon appear in the movie together they never shot a single scene together." Keenen says, "It was difficult for both of them, but it was actually probably easier for Shawn, because at least he had Linden. Marlon had the most difficult job because he was totally isolated." On the screen it comes across extremley well considering how much had to be married up with Marlon's head and Linden Porco's body. Joining the cast is critically acclaimed actress kerry Washington wo, along with Shawn Wayans, plays baby Calvins 'adoptive' parents. Well, not really adoptive, they just decide to keep him. "I‘ve been looking for a comedy for a long time, because I have this reputation of being a very serious actor," laughs Washington. "When I read this script, I felt like this was the one. It's just so smart." The big determining factor Kerry considered was the chance to be on set and work with the Wayans Bros. "I could not pass up the opportunity to do my first comedy with the Wayans brothers. That was the biggest draw for me," Washington admits. "I like to challenge myself, so if I was going to do a comedy, I wanted to be in one that would be a crash course, where I‘d have to continually be on my toes, working with the best, and ready to stand up to the mic. These guys have taught me so much. I just sat around and soaked in all of their comic genius, which is very easy because it was always on display." Playing Kerry's onscreen 'Pop' is comedy legend and long time Wayans family friend, John 'Spoon' Witherspoon. The Wayans have high regard for their talented friend. "He's brilliantly funny and he knows Marlon and Shawn well, so they‘re able to improvise together effortlessly," says Keenen. "There's not a funnier old black man on the planet to me than Spoon. If you want a funny ass old black man there's Bill Cosby and John Witherspoon," states Marlon. "And Bill Cosby's got a billion dollars so, that's going to be one hell of a deal. John Witherspoon is still a thousand-aire on his way to his first billion." Witherspoon is very funny as 'Pop Edwards'. Then there's Percy P, Calvins partner in crime. Tracy Morgan was cast for the role of Percy P. "We've always been big fans of Tracy," Alvarez admits, "and we hadn't really worked with him in the past so the guys wrote the character of Percy P especially for him." "Little Man is a story about a little person, Calvin, who leads a big person, Percy P, astray," explains Morgan. "The big person wants to follow his dream of being a rap star like 50 Cent. Instead he and the little person come up with this scheme of stealing a diamond. Calvin's always getting him in trouble. He bullies him. Calvin kicks his ass, but he loves him anyway. It's like the battered wife syndrome. Percy always wants to do the right thing, but Calvin has this hold over him. He keeps discouraging him and shooting his dreams down. Percy won‘t give up, but the truth is he can't rap for anything." It's a wonderful mix of characters and situations the Wayans Bros have come up with for and all the cast are 'up for' the roles they play. It's obvious the Wayans are good at their craft, the box-office tells that tale. One thing I admire about them is their attitude towards their audiences. "We're always thinking about the audience and how to make them laugh. We just want them to enjoy our films and not take them seriously," says Shawn Wayans. "Take your brain out of your head, sit down and just have a ball." "We want to give audiences a kick and make them laugh. I feel bad when I go to a movie and see that people aren't getting their money's worth," Marlon notes. "A movie costs US ten dollars. You could feed a family with US ten dollars." The Verdict "IT's so jammed packed full of guilty pleasures you feel damn guilty about having so much fun. "Little Man" is the style of film only the Wayans Bros could pull off and the type of film that really pisses off the 'critics' who, rather than admit it is funny, take the moral high ground for reputations sake. I'm sure there will be people who are offended by some of the content in "Little Man", but most people will see it for what it is, good fun even if (according to the 'critics') the plot is full of holes. Funny, outrageous, sacrilegious! It's all here in "Little Man". The 'little' film that's big on laughs. 3 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "LITTLE MAN" stars .......
Marlon Wayans ["Requiem for a Dream", "The Ladykillers" and "White Chicks"]; Shawn Wayans ["I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", "New Blood" and "Scary Movie I & II"]; Tracy Morgan ["Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", "Head Of State" and "The Longest Yard"]; John Witherspoon ["The Ladies Man", "Friday After Next" and "Soul Plane"], Alex Borstein ["Bad Santa", "Catwoman" and "Good Night, and Good Luck"] and Kerry Washington ["Save the Last Dance", "The United States of Leland", "Ray", "Mr & Mrs Smith" and "Fantastic Four"] as Vanessa Edwards.
"LITTLE MAN" was .......
directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans ["I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", "A Low Down Dirty Shame", "Scary Movie I & II" and "White Chicks"]; screenplay by Shawn Wayans ["Scary Movie I,2,3 & 4" and "White Chicks"]; Marlon Wayans ["Scary Movie I,2,3 & 4" and "White Chicks"] and Keenen Ivory Wayans ["Most Wanted" and "White Chicks"] cinematography by Steven Bernstein ["The Water Boy", "Corky Romano", "Monster" and "White Chicks"]; original music by Teddy Castellucci ["Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo", "The Animal", "50 First Dates" and "The Longest Yard"] production design by Leslie Dilley ["Honey I Blew Up the Kid", "How to Make an American Quilt", "Deep Impact" and "Pay It Forward"] and costume design by Jori Woodman ["Cold Front", "Lake Placid", "Final Destination 1 & 2" and "Paycheck"]. Run Time 98 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - Sony Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved