Jayden-Lee Thomson
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Horst in Translation ([email protected])
Well, actually the very first sequence had at least a nice punchline when the main character is born, the parents ask what it is and the doctor says something like "It's an a**hole". This, however, is probably the comedic highlight from a film which ended up very disappointing for me. It is full of nudity, swearing, vomiting, violence against animals... To me it felt, like the makers wanted to be so offensive that they totally forgot to include any humor in this film. One example is how the boy speaks about an erotic fantasy with his older sister. It is based on a comic from Walter Moers, who is also known for "Käptn Blaubär" and the director is Michael Schaack who also worked on several Werner movies. Hein Blöd, a character from "Käptn Blaubär" can be seen during several scenes also in this film on television. These Werner movies are actually pretty good, especially the first, so action can be vulgar and offensive and still funny. However, they did not manage to make it work here.The most notable thing about the cast is maybe that the main character, a little boy, is voiced by a grown woman. The voice is pretty unbearable, which was probably intended to make the kid seem more annoying. Anyway, it is tough to sit through it and keep listening to it, even if the film does not pass the 80-minute-mark. And Helge Schneider is in the movie as well and brings at least some humor occasionally. I like him a lot, but I wonder what went through his head when he agreed to voice the grandpa here. Another thing about the characters is that their noses are bigger than their heads, which is similar in the Werner films as well. There is some known songs included, but none of them were particularly memorable, Being a huge Johnny Cash fan, I also did not like the main character's disrespectful comments about the Man in Black.So yeah, the film has quite a few disturbing scenes which also make it absolutely inappropriate for children. During one scene, the main character acts as a person who helps people in trouble via telephone and tells a caller that suicide is a solution. For a large part of the film, the main character abuses a small dog and I wondered why the dog owner would still give her dog to the kid for a walk. The film mocks old and sick people in every form you can imagine. And the film ends with a huge orgy that came out of nowhere and had nothing to do with the very weak plot and story lines. So yeah, all in all, I absolutely do not recommend this movie. You can make an offensive film funny or entertaining, but this does not even come close to such an achievement.
t_atzmueller
Or, "The Simpsons for misanthropes", could have been another fitting title.If this review contains many ****, I must apologize, but it's IMDb which wouldn't allow me to use the real words. How to explain, that it's not me spouting obscenities but Walter Moers, creator of the little a**hole and erstwhile Germany's king of obscenities? Today he's very successful as an author of children's books, but there was a time when Walter Moers was famous for his pitch-black humour: always on the limits of good taste and often trespassing them. Yet, it wasn't the vulgar type of obscene either, never trying to offend for the sake of offending. Rather, it offended through wit, observation and critic – Moers didn't simply go around calling people "a**holes", rather, he explained to them, why they are a**holes (all the while making them laugh tears).Just like the little a**hole.Said "little a**hole" is a small boy, who fancies himself intellectually superior to the rest of the world. He's cynic, misanthropic, a mix of ancient Greek philosopher and, well, an a**hole, that terrorizes his surrounding. Whether feeding LDS to the neighbours dog, showing pin-up girls to the blind, or getting his band-members (the a**hole is the singer) to end up in hospital after having performed Arabic music for a club full of skinheads, everybody get's his share of (always justifiable is the a**holes mind) abuse. One exception could be the "Alte Sack" ("Old Bag"), his grandfather, essentially the logic conclusion of what the a**hole will become in old-age; his rant about heroin consume and masturbation to a bunch of nuns at the home for the elderly, remains one of the films highlights.This isn't everybody's cup of tea and, don't let the simple animation fool you, it certainly isn't a movie for children. But, unlike many other comic-characters, the transition from paper to film has actually worked here. If you like Walter Moers, the "Das Kleine Arschloch"-comics, a fan of early Ralph Bakshi films or simply a jolly misanthrope, you'll enjoy this film … if you're not, well, I think they're showing "Shrek 3" on the Disney channel.8 points from 10
Perception_de_Ambiguity
'Kleines Arschloch' actually translates to "The Little A**hole" but officially it's translated as "The Little Bastard".A shabbily animated obscene satire. Brilliant in parts it overall is quite aimless and the ending feels hardly concluding. The film lives through its witty dialogue and through the character of the "little a**hole" and his grandpa.It exposes people as what they are: Stupid and obscene. Only the "little a**hole", a 10 year old boy who lacks any feelings of shame seems to be more than just an animal. He talks in a sophisticated manner, but not without being the most obscene of them all. You have to consider, though, that the film is told from his perspective and he leads us through it with his everlasting, exposing narration.
Christian Baer (Gullytrotter)
I am not a person who believes in "family, love, morality". I make jokes about just about everything, always knowing how these are meant. This film however somehow made me think a little bit too much.Sure, there are some REALLY good jokes in this film (I only saw the original German version and don't know anything about the translation). Most characters are sure to provide many good laughs. My personal favorite was the old man (Grandpa) with his great phrases.There are on the other hand several "jokes" which go so far that they are no longer funny (IMHO). Sure, old people may become helpless and may have to live in special homes; but suggesting that they are only lumps of meat with snot constantly dripping from there noses is almost a direct insult. This is one example of several.Generally this movie is worth seeing, a little more respect and good taste would have helped enormously.
