The average teen sex comedy with a twist

Comedienne Janeane Garofalo once said that "Chasing Amy" was the romantic comedy for people who don't like romantic comedies. Comparatively speaking, "Tadpole" tries to be the teen sex comedy for people who don't like teen sex comedies.\nOr you could say that "Tadpole" is your garden-variety, boy-meets-girl, boy-and-girl-have-son, boy-and-girl-get-divorced, boy-remarries-new-girl, son-falls-for-new-stepmom comedy. That's right -- a comedy.\nIn an era dominated by gross-out comedies, this is a comedy in which the whole premise is gross.\nScreen newcomer Aaron Stanford stars as 15-year-old Oscar Grubman, a prep-school phenom home for Thanksgiving. Oscar speaks fluent French and reads Voltaire. His dad, Stanley (John Ritter), a prominent literary professor, married Eve (Sigourney Weaver) after the divorce, and Oscar soon develops the hots for Eve.\nBebe Neuwirth, a.k.a. Lilith from "Cheers," plays Eve's best friend since childhood, Diane. She sets out for younger men because they revitalize her, and she seduces Oscar with the help of a scarf that reminds him of his stepmom. Call it the new HBO spin-off "Sex with a Teenager in the City."\nIf you are a prude, you know to avoid this movie. Having said that, it's little more than mediocre anyway.\nOscar's pretentiousness is supposed to be funny but sometimes comes across as annoying. Weaver gives a surprisingly bland performance for a three-time Oscar nominee, and at age 52 she cannot play a 40-year-old convincingly. Ritter is okay as the innocent dad, but how out there did he have to be to not notice some obvious warning signs? Robert Iler ("The Sopranos") plays the typical teen sex comedy best-friend character: a quirky sexhound who adds some wisdom to his musings that make him the film's funniest and most memorable character. Director Gary Winick tries to make a Woody Allen film for teenagers, but the pacing is odd and disjointed.\nLastly, at 78 minutes, it's hard to justify the expenditure of $7 for such a short film, as it feels unconsummated. Not to inadvertently give away the ending or anything.