Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Little Big Mouth’ On Netflix, A South African Rom-Dramedy About A Musician Who Falls For A Single Mom

South Africa has put out some pretty solid titles on Netflix in the last year and change, including heavy dramas like I Am All Girls and Òlòtūré. The latest South African title lightens things up considerably with a family friendly rom-dramedy. In Little Big Mouth, now streaming on Netflix, a musician recently made homeless and jobless finds purpose again when he unexpectedly befriends a single mother and her precocious son. 

LITTLE BIG MOUTH: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Siya (Nay Maps) wants to be a rockstar. He dreams of shredding like Hendrix in front of thousands of adoring fans. His reality, however, is playing weddings and corporate events, where he’s forced to tuck his freak flag away and play by the rules. When he gets a little too drunk (and a little too creative on the guitar) at one wedding in particular, however, Siya finds himself kicked out of the band and his apartment. Lucky for him, single mom Mel (Amanda Du-Pont) and her son Luke (Brady Hofmeyr) take pity on him and invite him to stay with them for a short while after a wacky series of events.

What starts as a temporary (and occasionally tense thanks to the hostility of Mel’s father) arrangement soon becomes one that fulfills each of these individuals in surprising ways. Mel rediscovers her love of singing, Siya begins to let go of his self-absorbed tendencies, Luke opens up to the idea of creating a family again, and Mel’s father sheds some of his hostility towards Siya (and everyone else). None of them see it coming, but a down-on-his-luck musician with big dreams may change all their lives forever.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Little Big Mouth might remind you a little bit of School of Rock, Jerry Maguire, Instant Family, and Begin Again.

Performance Worth Watching: James Borthwick totally stole the show for me as Mel’s grumpy father. While everyone else in Little Big Mouth mostly has a lot of sweet, sincere work to do, he gets to be a total ass, pettily spicing up Siya’s stew the first night he’s there, rolling his eyes through whatever nice interactions Siya has with Mel, and plotting against Siya with grandson Luke’s help. We’ve seen this skeptical, curmudgeonly character before, but Borthwick brings a little crotchety, genuinely funny flair to the part.

Memorable Dialogue: There’s a sweet conversation between Mel and Siya as Luke works on making some gumdrop toothpick art that felt like representative of some of the film’s themes: “Well, there’s no good or bad in art,” Siya says, after Mel says she was never any good at art in school. “Like in music, no good or bad,” Mel playfully retorts. This flirting bothers Luke, but it’s a cute indication of where their relationship is going.

Sex and Skin: There is some tame making out, but not much else.

Our Take: I really wanted to love Little Big Mouth. It’s a sweet (if familiar) premise, and the child actor at its center is charming as anything. Unfortunately, the script gets pulled in too many directions tonally, and Nay Maps’s performance as Siya doesn’t have the leading man quality the film seems to think it does. It’s a bummer, too, because Amanda Du-Pont is simply ethereal as Mel, lighting up the screen any time we catch so much as a glimpse of her. I’m not entirely sure Maps and Du-Pont have the raw chemistry necessary to make this kind of story work, even if they look good together; he’s nice enough, sure, but Siya doesn’t really fall into the gratingly charming category we might see in this role, or the lovable goofball like Jack Black in School of Rock. He’s somewhere in the middle, and it doesn’t really work opposite Mel. Luke’s arc with Siya is a little more effective, beginning well enough and turning quickly after Siya sleeps in his little house, pees in his cooking pot, and steals some snacks. Kids sure do know how to hold on to a grudge.

Character pros and cons aside, however, Little Big Mouth doesn’t really seem to know what movie it wants to be. Is it a big-hearted family comedy? A man-baby grows up tale? An unconventional rom-com? A soapy family dramedy? It changes so often I wasn’t ever sure what kind of story I was watching, especially in the film’s final act, when the film jumps the shark a bit to help raise the stakes in their relationship. It’s a respectable attempt at drama, but in the context of the rest of the film, these quick twists and turns just don’t really work. This inconsistency ultimately sinks Little Big Mouth, despite its good intentions and handful of genuinely enjoyable scenes.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Little Big Mouth has a big heart, but its inconsistent tone and lackluster lead performance leave us wanting more from this sweet story.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Little Big Mouth on Netflix