In an outstanding directorial debut, Jodie Foster created a ispecial film about a prodigy named Fred Tate, who has remarkable artistic, musical, and mathematical skills. Furthermore, the boy, only 8, is very sensitive, mature and aware of the needs of those around him. Foster plays Fred's mother, a single parent who cares deeply about her son, but doesn't know how to stimulate his stupendous mind.

School bores Fred because his intelligence is constantly insulted by the low academic level of his second grade class. Until he is contacted by a school for especially gifted children, Fred's genius seems doomed to go unnoticed by the world.

Fred has no friends at school, and feels excluded by members of his class who don't include him in their activities. Fred tries inviting his whole class to a birthday party, but after he passes out the invitations at recess one day, all the carefully-made cards fall to the ground as the kids run away leaving them behind. When the day of his birthday party arrives, Fred and his mom wait nervously in the fancily-decorated apartment for the guests, but no one comes.

Fred's social problems end when he joins a crowd of super-gifted children like himself at a special school. His mother, who has always kept Fred close to her side, reluctantly allows Fred to attend the school on a scholarship. The relationship between Fred and his mother after he goes away to school is an important plot-line in the film.

Overall, "Little Man Tate" was enjoyable to watch. It would have been nice to see more of Fred's talents, which were tremendous when portrayed. A real "feel-good" movie, "Tate" is more than worth a trip to the theater. n