Carl Bialik‘s 1.23 Wall Street Journal piece about the great and small distortions that always result from the use of stars — i.e., little asterisks — to summarize a film critic’s opinion moved me not. That’s mainly because I’ve never paid any attention to stars, or at least not in comparison to how I’ve responded all my life to the Little Man.
I love that the Little Man is very adamant and emotional in his reactions to films, and the fact that he doesn’t frown or glare or shake his fist at the stinkers — he goes to sleep on them. That leaning forward and clapping so hard he lifts himself out of his seat routine? I know that feeling. The creation of San Francisco Chronicle artist Warren Goodrich, the Little Man is now 61 years old.
