Little Boy

"Little Boy" has everything Americans love in a Hollywood movie. A typical David and Goliath story, the film shows the power of the small person over incredible odds. It's full of hope, humor and happy families, but the central metaphor at the heart of "Little Boy" has disturbing implications about Manifest Destiny and a country's belief that they can do whatever they want because they have God on their side.

Unfortunately, the movie is only trying to be about the power of the little guy.

Seven-year-old Pepper Flynt Busbee (Jakob Salvati) is the smallest kid in his class, and his doctor (Kevin James) isn't certain that he's going to get any bigger. Nevertheless, his father James (Michael Rapaport) is so supportive that Pepper feels he can make it through anything. But when his big brother London (David Henrie) can't be enlisted in the Second World War and Pepper's father has to go in his place, the little boy is devastated and will do everything in his power to bring his father back home safely.

Because Pepper and his family are religious they believe that individuals, even small ones, have more power than most people would assume. The local patriarch Father Oliver (Tom Wilkinson) helps Pepper to understand that if he has faith the size of a mustard seed he can move a mountain.

Pepper's fear for his father's life causes both him and his brother to mistrust Japanese Americans, so Father Oliver comes up with a plan. The man of God gives the little boy a list of tasks to accomplish in order to bring his father back, and one of these is to be kind and even befriend a local citizen released from an internment camp named Hashimoto (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa).

It's easy to identify with the familial ties and deep feelings of love this little boy has for his father, but his faith and his community lead him to a disturbing conclusion. At a local magic show, the illusionist teaches Pepper that he has magic powers. So the boy focuses on the horizon (where he believes Japan to be) hoping to perform a miracle.

A big event does happen in Japan, the American army drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and as the bomb bears his nickname, "Little Boy," the child takes the credit. But when his family is told that James Busbee was killed in action, Pepper must evaluate which events are really within his control.

This Blu-ray Combo Pack includes deleted scenes and a short animation by the same director, Alejandro Monteverde. The deleted scenes were obviously best left out of the feature, but the animation is really quite charming. And though it also has a Christian theme, the dogma is much less overt.

"Little Boy"
Blu-ray Combo Pack
Rated PG-13 | 107 minutes
littleboymovie.com/