Little People, Bad Movie

“Tiptoes,” about a man coming to terms with the dwarfism that runs in his family while also dealing with his newly pregnant girlfriend, may sound like the sort of quirky, romantic comedy that critics would adore, but it’s that straight-faced ambition to be a high caliber film that is ultimately the film’s downfall.

Matthew McConaughey stars as the main character that is ashamed of his family of little people and apparently has some sort of unresolved conflict with his brother.

The film, probably created to right some misconceptions done to the little person community, actually just seems to exist to show that little people also have sex, fight and possess the ability to yell obscenities.

Seriously, this movie contains a lot of sexual encounters of the third kind.

Look at him! His arms are the same length as hers!

The weirdest part of the movie is that Gary Oldman, who is average-sized in real life, plays a little person in the film. A good way to overcome any bias or pretense held against little people would be to actually allow one to act in the film. I doubt there is a shortage of any talented actors in the little person community.

While the actual emotions of the film could be poignant, this film seems to place too much emotional weight on the situation.

When one of the characters ask if a party was attended by a bunch of “midgets,” another character calmly corrects her and tells her to use the correct term “little people.”

That seems like an easy enough way to deal with a problem.

When the families of Matthew McConaughey and his fiancé meet, the biggest obstacle the two families face is agreeing on whether or not the two can have a Jewish ceremony.

Yes, they can. That’s that.

The problems in this movie could very well affect other people, but they seem like more of an isolated case. Not all people put in that situation would be ashamed of their family. Not everyone is scared or disgusted by little people.

The situations feel manufactured to create the most dramatic tension between characters. While this film attempts to craft an accurate portrayal of life for little people, I can’t help but feel like the movie exaggerates the prejudices.

While the movie tries to be an intelligent, thoughtful movie with a message, there isn’t any real conflict or problems that show that a movie was warranted.

Thanks for caring, Matthew McConaughey.