Tiny Tiptoes

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Tiny Tiptoes (better known by the title Tiptoes) is a 2003 drama film starring Matthew McConaughey as the only normal sized person from a family of little people, Kate Beckinsale as his pregnant fiance who is unaware of this, and Gary Oldman in what the trailer refers to as "role of a life time"... as a dwarf who is also supposed to be Matthew McConaughey's twin brother.

What.


Tropes used in Tiny Tiptoes include:
  • Aborted Arc: The subplot involving Rolfe and his on again off again girlfriend gets dropped and has no effect on the film. Similarly, Maurice and Lucy disappear during the final act without any real resolution.
    • There are also hints that Steven may be having an affair with one of his students that appears briefly but this is never referred to again.
  • Non Sequitur Scene: For the careers of just about everybody involved, it's impossible to find any interviews with the cast actually discussing the film.
  • Billing Displacement: The DVD box art lists Matthew McConaughey first with Gary Oldman getting And Starring while the opening credits are the reverse.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Steven and Carol separate over his inability to cope with the fact that their son is a dwarf and she and the child stay as guests at Rolfe's cabin. However, in the end it seems that he's getting help and he parts with Carol and Rolfe on good terms. Also, Carol starts a new relationship with Rolfe.
  • The Cameo: David Alan Grier as a fictional actor Jerry Robin Jr. who likes to have sex with midgets.
  • Executive Meddling: Apparently the film was at one point a whole hour longer.
  • Forced Perspective: Done poorly with Gary Oldman, frequently qualifies as Special Effects Failure. Compare and contrast with the The Lord of the Rings the third of which was released the same year as this film.
  • Hero of Another Story: The characters of Maurice and Lucy make more sense and are more entertaining when you imagine that they're the stars of a separate romantic comedy that only occasionally intersect with the film we're watching.
  • Jerkass: Steven becomes this after their child is born and revealed to be a dwarf.
  • Refuge in Audacity: The filmmakers expecting you to believe the idea of Gary Oldman playing not only a dwarf but a dwarf that is the twin brother of Matthew McConaughey is almost certainly this.
  • Took the Bad Film Seriously: All the actors seem to be trying really hard to sell the ridiculous premise, even McConaughey who's performances are otherwise notoriously laid back.