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A Kid Like Jake

A Kid Like Jake

Drama · 2018

On the eve of the admissions cycle for New York City kindergartens, Alex and Greg Wheeler have high hopes for four-year-old Jake. The director of Jake's preschool encourages them to accentuate Jake's gender expansive behavior to help him stand out. As Alex and Greg navigate their roles as parents, a rift grows between them, one that forces them to confront their own concerns about what's best for Jake, and each other.

Movie details

A Kid Like Jake

2018 Drama 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

On the eve of the admissions cycle for New York City kindergartens, Alex and Greg Wheeler have high hopes for four-year-old Jake. The director of Jake's preschool encourages them to accentuate Jake's gender expansive behavior to help him stand out. As Alex and Greg navigate their roles as parents, a rift grows between them, one that forces them to confront their own concerns about what's best for Jake, and each other.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over A Kid Like Jake?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Silas Howard

Written by

Daniel Pearle

Claire Danes

Claire Danes

Alex Wheeler

Jim Parsons

Jim Parsons

Greg Wheeler

Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer

Judy

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Amal

Ann Dowd

Ann Dowd

Catherine

Amy Landecker

Amy Landecker

Sandra

Leo James Davis

Leo James Davis

Jake Wheeler

Court is in session

Put A Kid Like Jake on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.