Fat Man and Little Boy

PG-13

Released Oct 20, 1989

2 hr. 6 min.

History

Drama

List

50%

24 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Assigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves (Paul Newman) is a stern military man determined to have the project go according to plan. Groves selects J. Robert Oppenheimer (Dwight Schultz) as the key scientist on the top-secret operation, but the two men clash fiercely on a number of issues. Despite their frequent conflicts, Groves and Oppenheimer ultimately push ahead with two bomb designs -- the bigger "Fat Man" and the more streamlined "Little Boy."

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Nov 29

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Fat Man and Little Boy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

ollie n

I admit that I enjoyed it, knowing that it was fictionalized.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/25/23

Full Review

John S

This is an historical movie about an important part of our history. Yes, it is overly dramatic in some areas. But, if you are a fan of WWII history - as I am - you will find this movie fascinating. Seeing the sets the producers made were incredible. I could believe I was at Los Alamos. And the bombs. What I Liked: - Newman as Groves - not his best role, but you cannot not watch him (yes folks, that was a triple negative...) - Oppenheimer and his strengths and weaknesses - The scenes where Merriman is exposed to radiation and dies is wrenching - The sets and the bombs - Dr. Schoenfeld and his pets What I Did Not Like - The projected losses for America if we had invaded would be 1 million men - this was not mentioned, only a brief scene in a restaurant where some brass urged Groves to finish the bomb - As always, too much romantic drama - What happened to Merriman's diary?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

Steve D

Manhattan did this sort of thing far better. If this one would have stayed true to reality it would have been much better.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Story of human sacrifice for the advancement of W'sMD. The White Man builds bombs to kill all his enemies NOW.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Between 2.5 and 3 stars. It talks about very interesting issues, but sometimes treats them in a shallow way.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Aaron O

Instead of a continuous narrative, the movie is a series of vignettes that really keep you from engaging with the characters anymore than recognizing that they're on rails laid down by the knowledge that everything worked out Also, there was a lot of miscasting: Newman was above the way Groves was written, and Schultz was below the level needed to portray Oppenheimer's nuances Throw in John Cusack as occasional scene filler, and this movie is just a hodgepodge barely glued together by historical interest

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/08/19

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Roland Joffé

Director

Paul Newman

Gen. Leslie R. Groves

Dwight Schultz

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Bonnie Bedelia

Kitty Oppenheimer

John Cusack

Michael Merriman

Laura Dern

Kathleen Robinson

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Fat Man and Little Boy: Official Clip - It's Your Baby

2:07

Fat Man and Little Boy: Official Clip - Kick It or Lick It

1:51

Fat Man and Little Boy: Official Clip - I'm Dead

2:11

Fat Man and Little Boy: Official Clip - Optimism vs. Realism

2:13

Fat Man and Little Boy: Official Clip - Stop Playing God

2:00

Fat Man and Little Boy: Official Clip - Is It Possible?

1:57

Fat Man and Little Boy: Official Clip - A Good Wife

1:31

Fat Man and Little Boy: Official Clip - Testing the Bomb

2:13

Fat Man and Little Boy: Official Clip - Beyond the Theoretical

2:08

View more videos

8%

43%

King David

25%

51%

Flight of the Intruder

75%

87%

Becket

98%

89%

Henry V

32%

50%

1492: Conquest of Paradise

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Fat Man and Little Boy is a fiction based on the Manhattan Project, but it is thin and unfocused and hardly even suggests the enormous moral and practical questions that the scientists wrestled with in the New Mexico desert.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Hal Hinson

Washington Post

A singular, powerful experience.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

[Fat Man] is not resoundingly disastrous. That would imply a certain energy.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

It's possibly one of the dullest and most insubstantial war movies I've seen about the Manhattan Project. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/10

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a watchable yet terminally erratic endeavor that benefits from its inherently compelling subject matter and stirring performances...

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 12, 2023

Full Review

Blake Howard

One Heat Minute

“Not executed in the same effortless way as….”The Mission” or “The Killing Fields”, but you can tell that Joffe is … has a real talent of myth-busting [history].”

Rated: 2/4

Feb 13, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Assigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves (Paul Newman) is a stern military man determined to have the project go according to plan. Groves selects J. Robert Oppenheimer (Dwight Schultz) as the key scientist on the top-secret operation, but the two men clash fiercely on a number of issues. Despite their frequent conflicts, Groves and Oppenheimer ultimately push ahead with two bomb designs -- the bigger "Fat Man" and the more streamlined "Little Boy."

Director: Roland Joffé
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 20, 1989, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 21, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.3M
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now