Tadpole is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick, written by Heather McGowan and Niels Mueller, and starring Sigourney Weaver, Bebe Neuwirth, Aaron Stanford, John Ritter, Robert Iler, and Kate Mara.

He speaks fluent French, quotes Voltaire and finds girls of his own age to be too shallow and superficial, as well as too immature and inexperienced in life.

Oscar confides in his friend Charlie that he is in love with a mature woman and plans to win her heart during Thanksgiving break.

Oscar arrives at his family’s apartment, Columbia University history professor and author, Stanley Grubman and stepmother, the passionate cardiologist, Eve.

That evening, the Grubmans hold a party where Stanley introduces him to a girl of his age, but Oscar rebuffs her as well while staring at the object of his affection: his stepmother.

[5] The site’s consensus states, "Presenting a sexual awakening with surprising candor, Tadpole is a spiky coming of age tale that benefits from a deeply felt performance by Aaron Stanford and a script that is unafraid to wade into morally choppy waters.

Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "Were it not for the charm of Mr. Stanford...Oscar might have emerged as an insufferably pretentious hothouse flower.

"[6] Holden added "At its most endearing, the film conveys the same intense identification with Oscar's thoughts and mood swings that Mr. Salinger brought to his legendary character, and its adolescent-eyed view of Manhattan's Upper East Side as a glowing, mysterious wonderland is deeply Salinger-esque.

"[6] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly concurred, stating "The best instinct of director Gary Winick (The Tic Code) and screenwriters Heather McGowan and Niels Mueller is to emphasize old-fashioned courtliness in this likable comedy – good manners that go a long way toward convincing viewers the movie's got something fresh to say even while it's set in familiar territory.

"[7] Roger Ebert gave a more mixed review where he voiced his discomfort with the film's premise, writing "Too much has happened in the arena of sexual politics since 'The Graduate' and I kept thinking that since Oscar was 15 and his stepmother and her friend were about 40, this plot would have been unthinkable if the genders had been reversed.

[1] Ebert concluded, "A longer movie (this one is barely feature length at 77 minutes) might have made the relationships more nuanced and convincing.