HBO Max's 'The Little Things' is a tepid '90s throwback

The Little Things is brand-new on HBO Max this month, but you'd be forgiven for thinking you half-remember it from flipping channels back in the '90s. Not only is it set in that era, it feels like it was made then — and in fact the script, by writer-director John Lee Hancock, dates back to that decade. The film's throwback qualities are prominent, and not always for the better.

It does have its charms — chiefly Denzel Washington in the lead role of Joe "Deke" Deacon, a Kern County deputy sheriff who's still haunted by a homicide case he failed to crack years ago when he was still a detective with the LAPD. A strong, silent type with a prickly intelligence and a haunted expression, Deke is the kind of role Washington could play in his sleep. But The Little Things is an effective reminder of why Washington is still the guy to call for parts like these. He may not be plumbing any new depths, but he brings to Deke the seemingly effortless magnetism that's kept him at the top of the industry all these years. Read more...

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