Synopsis
It's the summer before 6th grade, and Clark is the new-in-town biracial kid in a sea of white. Discovering that to be cool he needs to act 'more black,' he fumbles to meet expectations, while his urban intellectual parents Mack and Gina also strive to adjust to small-town living. Equipped for the many inherent challenges of New York, the tight-knit family are ill prepared for the drastically different set of obstacles that their new community presents, and soon find themselves struggling to understand themselves and each other in this new suburban context.
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Cast
- Melanie LynskeyGina
- Nelsan EllisMack
- Armani JacksonClark
- Oona LaurenceAmbrosia
- Janeane GarofaloHelena
- Nadia DajaniMaya
- Veanne CoxSarita
- Miranda McKeonJulie
- Julie HaysDean Maureen
- David EbertTom
Recommendations
- 70
The New York Times
It avoids the big confrontation or grand statement; doing so allows it to be an effective, if somewhat uneventful, study of the Brooklyn bubble effect. - 63
RogerEbert.com
Little Boxes doesn’t manage to summon as much unique insight into prejudice as screenwriter Annie Howell and director Ron Meyer probably expected to achieve. But what keeps their movie watchable is that Lynskey, Ellis and Jackson are completely believable as a loving family unit. - 60
Variety
Even as some of the supporting players and subplots veer toward caricature, the family dynamics at the film’s center remain entirely relatable. - 60
Los Angeles Times
Lynskey, Ellis, and Jackson are charming enough to buoy this lightly dramatic tale, but with a laid-back energy the stakes are never quite high enough. “Little Boxes” offers tame social commentary in a pleasant package. - 58
The Film Stage
Despite the contrived drama surrounding it, this is a refreshingly uncynical portrait of familial strife. - 58
IndieWire
As knowing and perceptive as Howell’s script can be, it fails to galvanize its most sensitive ideas into compelling drama, and Meyer doesn’t recognize where a spark might be necessary. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
Meyer aims to emulate the jagged freeform jazz that permeates his soundtrack, but this wan indie is strictly middle-of-the-road background music. - 50
Village Voice
While racist slights remain unfortunately common, Little Boxes doesn't exactly use them to illuminate the nuances of suburban life.
