Throwback

I recently watch the new film The Little Things on HBOMax, which a part of their duel release strategy for 2021. And as a film that was originally set as for release in theaters, makes it a curious watch. As a streaming film in this streaming era, it fits right in. But as a scheduled theatrical release, even in the off month of February, it’s not something you see much of any more. And by something I mean non-franchise, non-adaptation, one-off genre film.

The Little Things is a police procedural movie about two police officers from different generations teaming up to hunt down a serial killer terrorizing Los Angeles (in 1990). Yeah, it’s a throwback in style, substance, and type of film, and you feel it from the beginning. It’s even set in the early nineties for good measure(though sometimes you forget because of its polished look). This framing needs to be understood and viewed with a specific set of expectations to enjoy it. Because without that mindset, it feels out of place, especially since it is, having been written in 1993, by the director John Lee Hancock.

Lowered expectations or not, it’s not a great film, with a mediocre story and an underutilization of the tone and style it is going for, it is unable to rising above to become memorable. But what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in a sense of comfort in its obvious and common plotting. It knew where it wanted to go, it’s just that the course was easy and the destination nothing exotic.

But while it doesn’t break any new ground, the familiarity with its genre setting makes it still work. Really, it’s because of the type of film it is, which are so rare nowadays, I gave it more leeway than I typically may have for film lacking in many areas. This is not an imperfect film, it is a film that is trying to be bigger than it is and misses that mark.

But I appreciate it for attempting.

It used a playbook from a different era, with a modern cover. I hope that this may be a look at more of these types of films, which have all but vanished, especially at this production value, with A-list talent attached, and a theatrical release scheduled, as a one-off film.

This is what interests me the most about watching this movie, trying to read between the lines of how a movie like this got made in the parameters mentioned above, especially one that took nearly three decades to make and this was that time.

Will more like this becoming? The easy answer is, no. But a lot goes into the decisions of why movies get made and leading indicators can be hard to see in the moment, with a large success is the main reason for people to take note of a possible new trend.

Little Things is not going to be that movie that blazes the new trend, but it could be one piece of many, that if it gains steam, will the be shift I would like to see. It feels dry out there right now, empty without any excitement or anticipation around any specific property.

Covid has changed the landscape for sure with all the studios scrambling to figure out the how to handle the evolving environment. While there is a lot of consternation about the future of movie theaters and the films that enable them, it feels like this could be a chance fill that hole by swinging in another direction. Away from franchises, from biopics, from adaptations, and ‘based on’ stories. I don’t think there is necessarily an exhaustion from these types of films, but maybe an apathy, malaise, or boredom.

After a decade of the MCU (and others like, like my beloved Fast & Furious), maybe we are in need of a getting off the freeway of franchises for a pitstop for something smaller, simpler— a throwback. Let’s get lost in the woods of originals.

All trends run their course at some point, and while the companies will continue to pump out continuing sets of stories revolving around a set world, that doesn’t mean it will last forever. After two decades of built up stories from the same line, we can all use something fresh with no attachments.

And that is what I appreciate with the film The Little Things. It gives me a glimpse into a possible new era, which could be seen as a throwback era. I see it as rediscovering something new. And even if it doesn’t come to pass, then I was able to remember a different time, with different types of movies, that attempted something different, and that it’s still possible to put something original out in the world and enjoy it, even if it didn’t hit the mark.