Marvin & Tige (1983)

Marvin & Tige is a love story for the ages. An old lonely wino who collects bottles for a living and an orphaned street urchin who steals for his supper come together to form an unexpected but beautiful union. I'm not exaggerating, this movie is just a straight up romance between an old drunk cracker and an eleven year old black child that said old white man verbally and with no shame describes as "dipped in chocolate"? This is just actually happening?? And it's amazing??

Gibran Brown plays the titular Tige (pronounced like Tiger sans hard R) and he's really the star here. Generally, I do not like child actors. Either they're those uncanny-valley type of freakish actors or they're kids who don't have the sauce whether it's natural or beaten into them and clearly they're just there so their piece of shit parents can keep up payments on the mobile camper they're using as a house. It's not child actors' fault that they give me the creeps and annoy me terribly, whether they're talented or not, but I do need them to get the fuck up off my screen. Stay in school and I really mean that shit. But sometimes I'm fine with children being exploited if they're really good and that's definitely the case with Gibran here. I refuse to look him up tho because if I find out he's dead or something tragic happened I'm going to kill myself and others :)

Big Tige is like eleven and running the streets to find food for him and his momma. Here I think he's pretending to be blind to collect tips? Why is this boy not in school? I get he's poor and his mom is like a sickly prostitute or something but does she not get food stamps? I don't know how food stamps work. Maybe she had them but they got cut off? Not that I think government aid is like some cure-all and if Tige and his momma had access to it it'd all be good but they have like nothing. Tige is stealing like cans of beans from the store and shit to bring home and it's like literally all they have to their name aside from a shitty run-down apartment. Can't tell if the circumstances in the movie are like exaggerated for movie purposes or if I'm deeply out of touch and this is an accurate representation of a real situation. They do not go into much detail about the circumstances of the characters, oddly. Like I said Tige's momma was a proz but they don't explicitly make that clear, I just guessed (because I hate black women???) and then later we meet Marvin and he lives in a house but has no job like at all and it's like how do you keep this house, how do you pay the property tax or light bills? He collects bottles? What is that like twenty bucks a week profit? Does he have a mortgage on the home like how does any of this work??

We meet Tige's momma and she's like bowled over in pain clutching her womb. I think earlier we see a man leave from her apartment and that's what made me think she was a prostitute and that man had just been a client she'd serviced. When we see her hunched over in pain after he leaves I wondered if she'd been assaulted and thought whoa that's pretty intense?? But then she ends up dying like five minutes later and so I assumed she'd been ill with something she was too poor to treat and that's why she was in pain? Either way, pretty bleak.

So b4 Tige's momma passes away and orphans him we see her reading to him. But later it's revealed Tige is illiterate and does not even know how to pronounce the word "library" - see it's stuff like this that made me wonder if the movie was being maybe a bit over the top in its depiction of the struggle of ~lower class~ poverty-stricken individuals. Obviously, it's just one snapshot and the movie isn't trying to say this is what is going on with all poor people during the movie's time period of the early-80s but like...if Tige's momma can read herself and we see her actively reading to him, why is he like entirely illiterate? He should have at least some basic ability like at least able to read cat/hat type of words? Or am I just wildly ignorant? Can't tell if it's me or the movie lol. Usually it's me so let's just go with that :)

Imagine trying to sleep and you can hear the sole person in the world responsible for your care loudly sobbing from the other room? And then you finally get some sleep after hours and when you wake up they're fucking dead. Just imagine.

Cut to Tige immediately trying to end his life. Tige was really real as hell for that. Like, exactly. He said fuck this suffering shit. But of course here come whitey calling himself tryna save the day. Okay, girl.

John Cassavetes plays whitey--I mean Marvin, THEE Marvin of Marvin & Tige. I initially thought he was homeless and when he shuffled over to sit on the park bench as Tige tried to end his life I'm like nigga be serious what are you really going to do? What can you really offer this child? You living on the damn streets pushing a shopping cart down a park in the dead dark of night like be serious! Turns out Marv isn't homeless. Like, at they very least, he has a house to live in but like he's broke as fuck so...it's not that much better than what I thought? Here, he is giving Tige "advice" on less painful ways of offing himself. Obvi as a way to get Tige to not kill himself which I of course fell for and thought was really cute. Then, like, maybe two minutes after meeting this small child in the middle of the night in a totally empty park where no others lurk, he of course invites Tige back to his place. Obviously the momma bear in me (I'm totally childless and probably barren) wanted to scream GET AWAY FROM HIM U WHITE DEVIL but the movie does a pretty good job of making it seem like this is actually the best option for Tige, to go with this strange white creature from unknowable origins, and in fact, by doing so, he will be saved. I truly feel Hollywood should burn to the ground :)

Tige's face as the crazy old honky is listing off like a thousand different ways he can kill himself is killing me. Like literally one second ago he was on the precipice of violently ending his life but now he's totally consumed with thoughts of What in the hell is wrong with this crazy old white man, and too distracted to even think about his problems, and I just really think that's beautiful. This movie's theme is that life can be a marvel and how that can come in many different forms. Probably that's the theme. Let's pretend it's that and not some weird muddled message about how love is love and age aint nothing but a number and only true, developed souls can see beyond color or whatever fake-woke-but-actually-wildly-offensive 80s-era message the movie is really trying to convey lol

Look at this evil old goblin. Would you go home alone with him? Sometimes these movies are very unserious. And what kinda message are we sending here? If you're a poor black orphaned child you really have no choice but to trust the evil-looking strange white man who appears to you at your darkest hour? Go home with him or worse. Like what are we saying here lol

Marv tries to convince Tige to go home with him by telling him the boogeyman could get him. Sir this whole movie is the boogeyman getting him. Capturing him and dragging him back to his lair and keeping him and refusing to let him go like what is happening

Tige is incredulous concerning the boogeyman's existence. Believe it, babe. You're looking right at it :/

Imagine you take a chance at your darkest hour and go home with the white man offering you assistance and he just starts evilly laughing in his darkened, dingy hallway and you have no one in the world who cares that you're there or what even happens to you. I'd immediately assume those were my final moments and just stand there relieved like honestly? good.

Tige starts crying because he's eleven and his life and circumstances are fucking horrendous and Marvin immediately starts screaming at him not to cry???? He's like trying to beat him out of crying???

Marv and Tige have a romantic moment directly after Marv screaming at this child not to cry. Marv is like actually maybe you should cry, and while he's babbling his chili starts burning on the stove and Tige doesn't even care he's just smiling like oh I just met my soulmate so I'm straight, actually. No, this is literally just what's happening in the movie?

It's crazy how Marv is supposed to be the one saving Tige but after the chili burns there's no food, so Tige hooks him up with a burger he pulls out of his coat. Like they're really taking care of each other it's so beautiful. Mind you if this was real life and I caught a whiff of this situation I would call the police on Marvin immediately and he would go away to prison for a long, long time

Marv asks Tige about his name and wonders if it's African. Bro you can't just be asking little black boys if their name is African. He's really such a Marvin (derogatory)

Tige looks so pitiful, chile. In this scene Tige is standing by the door kinda acting like he isn't sure about staying with Marv. Mind you, this is day 2 of them being soulmates and Tige has already spent the night once. I'm thinking Tige fell asleep the night b4 and Marv put him in the bed with him, so when Tige wakes up he doesn't remember what happened and is like did this old white man do something weird to me? I'm not sure. This movie has a way of not being clear about things when I feel like, considering the suspicious circumstances, they definitely should be. But this movie is from the 80s and I think pretty much any weird things happening to kids was completely fine so let's just move on :)

me watching any movie that's not Marvin & Tige

Tige is just casually talking about how he's not sure he'll even make it to 12. He talks like he's a hardened war vet or something. It's so cute but really depressing also? Marv is like "That's a pretty rough statement to make". I love how Marv talks to Tige they're just like two old men living together and it's very cute and cozy to me but I'm not sure I'm having the appropriate response---like, in hindsight, I think my response to this movie was inappropriate lol I'm just like this is the cutest romcom :)!! like no...someone help this little boy lol

Tige was saying how he would've followed in his mom's footsteps (dying tragically young) if it weren't for Marv and Marv I think not totally seriously is like yeah maybe I'm your guardian angel and Tige sincerely agrees??? It's such a cute moment. Their interactions drain me because I don't think I'll ever find this kind of love :( Mind you, Child Protective Services needs to immediately be contacted

Tige starts going off on Big Marv because Marv is trying to tell Tige how he can speak in his house and is running his old mouth talking about my house, my rules. Not a soul in this world cares about you but you have the audacity to be sitting up there acting strict. Oh ok

Tige looks so pitiful standing over by the door acting like he's finna run away because Marv told him not to say curse words or whatever in his dingy, piece of shit, crumbling by the beams ass house. I just wish my two divas would stop fighting and go back to being adorable besties again :( Don't fight, guys :'(

Look at this little diva, she's like who is this big burly ass white man lol

Tige asks Marv if he's a fag???? He's probably like why is this old man's most intimate relationship with a small malnourished ethnic boy child? I'm...not sure "fag" is the exact word for it, Tige :) I'm not even sure Marv actually answers? I think he just starts "playfully" choking Tige???

Tige presents receipts to prove Marv's alleged faggotry by pointing out that Marvin picked him (Tige, a guy) up at the park. Honestly, case closed. It's not looking good for Old Marv.

Marv refers to cruising for a small child at the park in the dead of night a "mistake" - that's not finna hold up in court, Big Marv.

POLICE!!!! AN OLD WHITE DEMON IS ATTEMPTING 2 KIDNAP--well, tech, Marv has already kidnapped Tige like...a minute ago and his victim...like, kinda refuses to escape? So I think, if the victim kinda doesn't make too much effort to leave it's probably fine after a while? But still, can someone call somebody? How do people see this old white man walking all over the city with this dusty little black kid and no1 is like hmmm what's happening here. I guess this is just normal in Georgia? (I think the movie takes place in Georgia but don't quote me)

They're so cute and cozy, tho :') The soulmatism goes crazy, if not slightly (largely) illegal :')

Why is this giving that gross grandparents bed from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory? Also whaTH TGE FUCK IS GOING AWWWWN!!!

??????????

Tige and Marv are doing jobs together, I think like helping people with small chores around their homes or something. After one job Marv just keeps Tige's half of the money? He's just like stealing from this kid lol. He's claiming he's keeping it to pay 4 food but that's Tige's money he earned doing the job lol he's not a slave?? Marv slippin' again smh

Tige side-eyeing Marv as the old man trauma dumps on him (he's eleven) about his alcoholism. Tige really has the whole world atop of his shoulders. Can somebody come and save this child like what kinda hell are we occupying here??

It's so cute when Tige gets excited about something and he's like tugging at Marvin's coat and chattering a mile a minute :') He's such a yapmeister and I like seeing him so happy and comfortable. I hate moments like this tho because you just kno they're living on borrowed time. The whole movie I'm just wanting Marv and Tige to live in their gross hovel as grandpa and grandson boyfriends in perpetuity but you know this set up they have has an expiraton date, so happy moments are more painful to watch than moments when Marv is trying to physically assault Tige or Tige goes into a rage because Marv told him not to say a cuss word or whatever lol

Why can't I have it all? :(

Tige doesn't know Benjamin Franklin???

Marv starts berating Tige for being illiterate. It's so funny he does not know how to talk to people but I like seeing the complexity in his response - like he's not trying to be an asshole, he's clearly disturbed that Tige has no education and he's upset that he's so far behind and it comes out in this asshole way that offends Tige eventho you know Marv didn't mean to hurt him so it's like cute to watch Marv be so pissed his buddy can't fucking read but also frustrating because it's like you know this kid is living this tragic life have some class and sensitivity when you're speaking to him smh

Then why did you kidnap him? *stares in confusion*

Marv got this boy digging through the trash for his bum ass. This shit is really ghetto for real. That being said, their bromance is unstoppable. They're digging through garbage like rats and I'm just jealous that I'll never have this kind of partnership. It's really insane.

Tige disturbed becuz Marv is yet again trauma dumping his bullshit onto him. Does Marv not understand he is the gnarled old adult in this scenario and that Tige is just a boy lol. I don't even care because I think it's really cute how Tige is so old-man coded himself and they have this weird old man roomates dynamic and Tige's whole response to Marv spiraling about his wife is ho boy here this nigga go again. Not even sure I'm supposed to think it's cute. Literally when is Child Protective Services going to be called lol

How did Tige not see that big ass gift on the table when he walked into the room to look out the window lol? Also why does Marv got this boy walking around in the house in them dingy ass tighty whiteys? If you gon' kidnap a boy at least scoop him some fresh underwear smh

Marv got his captive some skates for xmas :')

Please they're so weird, unlikable white grandpa and his sole ethnic grandson that's the only grandkid he likes eventho he's a racist coded :')

Is it illegal to make this one of my comfort movies? WHY is this orphaned child in his underwears in the bed with the strange white man who kidnapped him off the street? Idk but it's really adorable :')

Marv starts researching the adoption process to adopt Tige? I WILL kill myself :) He's so insane too like bro wdym? You need to go to prison not be awarded guardianship lmao

I thought it was sweet how Marv was saying God created people to be different. It was kind of a cute and corny way for him to assert himself as an anti-racist and I just liked how he's saying it to Tige and making it clear he views them as equals despite their differences but not in a cringe and inappropriate I don't see color or we're all One Race Da Human Race sort of manner.

This was when Tige shouted that Marv was NOT BLACK and Marv shot him a quick evil old white man side-eye for that. Marv seems the type to think being called a "honky" is something cool and good and we'll just leave it at that lol

Tige told Marv that initially he was just some old white man to him but now that they have fallen in love and realize they are soulmates he sees Marv as essentially a part of him which is SO INSANE and then even more insane Marv just casually tells him he loves him too? Police? Like it's so sweet and lovely and romantic but where are the authorities where is someone to do something??

My dusty sweeties enjoying a day at the local theme park :')

Marv saves Tige from being devoured by the PacMan Beast, but who will be there to save Tige from Marv?

Tige starts spitting about systemic racism and how redlining and oppression has historically held him and his people back (in so many words lol) and this evil old white man just starts accusing him of being jealous? What a childish ass response. The total lack of empathy for Tige's position and then to be sitting up there cackling at the world's denial of this child's humanity is so demented and also so very old white man named Marvin coded that it seems almost cartoonishly cliche

Tige starts dragging Marv and gets him real good. That's one thing I like about their relationship: they're just two old men bickering back and forth but they love each other to pieces at the end of the day. What I don't like is that Marv out of nowhere wants to act like he deserves more respect talking about don't disrespect me when Tige starts dragging him lol but it's cool for Marv to be rude and roast Tige for being illiterate or hating the world for being evil and racist? How that work?

Marv is crashing out after getting dragged by an illiterate child (*sniggers*) and screams at him that he doesn't want to see his "black face" again. #hmmm

Marv SLAPS (????) Tige for roasting him and so Tige immediately pulls out his knife lmaooo I know that's right. Tige is real as fuck but don't fight guys, please. I feel like my parents are getting a divorce :(

Marv at rock bottom after he abandons Tige in the street. The announcer on the radio is talking about how the temps will get down to subzero degrees or whatever and when I 1st watched this movie for some reason (I'm a dimwit) I thought it was set in Pennsylvania so didn't think anything of it but on my 2nd watch I realized it was set down south in Georgia? Are subzero temps at night normal there? It's fine let's just go with it. Anyway Tige is finna freeze to death and it's all Marvin's evil Caucasian fault :)

:'(

Look how this white man got my child literally passing away from consumption. He so incompetent he got this boy passing away from pneumonia in the modern age. I know dying from pneumonia is a thing but that's like for old people or those who have poorly-treated autoimmune disorders. Tho I guess it tracks that Tige would get it, too. He's literally malnourished and only has one shirt and a thin ass coat. But Marv is trying to adopt somebody. You can't adopt a corpse. Just stupid.

Oh lort wut is that white man giving this boy. Please sum1 call the police!

Of course Billy Dee Williams ole slick hair ass playing Tige's deadbeat daddy smh. The story is I guess he was having an affair with Tige's momma and she fell pregnant with Tige and asked ole slick back to leave his wife and be with her but Billy Dee was like um no lmao and told her to get an abortion so she yells at him to fuck off and he just leaves and never acknowledges his son that he knew good and damn well existed all this time. This dude is such a creature like I can't stomach him.

I hated the way the doctor spoke about Tige when Marv took him to the hospital. He was just like He's dying I guess idk what do u want me to tell you. Like, huh? I guess it's accurate for how black and poor people are generally treated by the medical field. Like you want to shout it's way too heavy handed and on the nose because it's so evil and insane, but actually it's fairly accurate and I just really enjoy how chilling and sobering the realization is :)

This perm haired bastard is yapping about how he doesn't know how to explain how he has, well, an actual bastard. I don't understand. You was all good going raw in some poor hooker but all of a sudden there's consequences for your actions and you're suddenly stupid. Or, I guess you started stupid, which was how you ended up in this situation in the 1st place. It just sucks this man's ego and "image" takes precedence over the needs and concerns of a helpless child. Like I guess Tige has to just stew in the muck and mire until you can get some hair on your chest and start taking responsibility for this child YOU CREATED who did not ask to be here like trust me if Tige had a say he would've passed on all this trust and believe lol

Tige's deadbeat bio dad asks Marv why he took Tige in as his charge. There's a pause and I expect Marv to say something really moving or profound but what happens is he shouts in an almost too-loud-for-indoors unhinged-old-man-with-wild-eyebrows voice: "LONELINESS!" - the way I would've wrestled him to the ground straight away and began screaming for someone to call the police. But Billy Dee is a loser like what do you mean you find out your son has been taken in by an old drunken bum and living in his house all this time and you like barely have a reaction to it. This movie is so nuts and I'm like no way any of this could be real, but the 80s were a thing, they actually happened. I know, very scary.

This is so insane. Marv just tells the people at the hospital he's Tige's "permanent babysitter" and no1, not once, thinks to call the police? I just gotta keep reminding myself this is the 80s this is the 80s this is Georgia lol, because if I don't I'll go mcfreakin crazy

LMAO

????????????

Tige is like bro why r u kissing me I'm a boy. Sweetheart, all of this shit y'all been doing together is completely illegal lol a little kissy kiss is nothing at this point like you have been sleeping in the bed with this old man in just your underwear babe like let's just stop playing dumb that's all I ask

Tige kisses Marvin back. It's sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo *rips my face off like Kumar in Smile 1*

I wasn't lying Marv ACTUALLY SAYS THIS with NO SHAME. He's like smiling when he says it like it's something cute and Tige SMILES BACK????? The way I would've started shouting with pure terror at the top of my lungs if some weird old white man said this to me???

Me when I'm watching any movie that doesn't have an explicit romance between a demented old goblin pale face and his adorable dipped in chocolate charge. Like just don't even come near me if y'all not coming correct.

Imagine you're a dad and some crazed old lunatic white man starts getting excited in public shouting about how much he loves your child. Tige's so-called "real father" has barely any reaction to any of this INCREDIBLY SUSPECT behavior from ole Marv. Tige really has no1 with sense in his life.

Billy Dee just lets his son go back home with Marv? And this is the shit he has this little boy doing when they get back smh

*starts filling my backpack with rocks as I use Siri for the 1st time ever to ask her evil ass to locate me the nearest bridge*

This was soooooooooooooo :(

So Billy Dee's wife is just cool with him having an outside baby? It makes sense when it's like Nick Cannon and one of his five thousand baby mamas but this is like a respectable woman who lives in a nice house and has clean daughters like how is she not going straight to the divorce lawyer and figuring out how much money she can get out of a man who sincerely sits down to have relaxer applied to his scalp?? We're not allowed access to her character's interior life at all so I guess you can make up that she's biding her time before making the big move. She wants things to be as smooth and painless for her daughters as possible, maybe. Maybe she's the silent killer type. Will smile in her beanhead husband's face for years while slowly poisoning his food so it looks like he died from a mysterious illness and certainly nothing more calculated, more sinister, more just

Wait, why r they kinda...

No, like, seriously, what is she thinking? If my man (imaginary) came to me talking bout oh btw I knocked up a deceased prostitute and we have a son together I would literally start wrestling him and not stop until he died? What's going through queenie's mind? Her behavior doesn't betray that anything is out of place like it's honestly starting to scare me

Ole beanhead buys Tige a five dollar watch to make up for all the entire life he's lived totally fatherless. Billy Dee is so kind :)

Oh, ten dollars, sorry!

Tige talkin bout some "phew". Another man is abandoning you, sweetie :( I wanted to slit my wrist like how Tige was finna do at the beginning of the movie (2 soon?) when Marv tried dipping out on him without even saying goodbye. Why do these men keep leaving him? I'm going to do something dangerous like this shit is pissing me off. Also I kinda hate that I didn't want Tige to stay with William Dee and his family. Like....not to be making any criminal statements...but Marvin is his family. Marv can't really take care of Tige tho and he is like...literally just some random white man so their situation wasn't even remotely sustainable and I should feel glad Tige has finally been united with his "real dad" and has this insta-family that comes along with that but I wasn't happy at all lmao like now Marv and Tige have to break up like why is this world so cold and so cruel :'(

Tige didn't want to stay with Billy Dee and his people so in order to prevent Tige from wanting to go "back home" with Marv, Marv tells Tige he doesn't want him to come back, which is obviously bullshit and Tige knows it I think but he still gets upset and I just wished Marvin could be bashed to death with a giant hammer cuz why did you seduce this boy only to throw him away I don't like that at all. I mean, it was illegal when you had him up at the house and now you're actually doing the right thing but it DOESN"T FEEL THAT WAY and i'm PISSED

Marv comes home one day and notices Tige's sisters across the street playing and right away he knows that Tige has returned "home" and the way he busts excitedly into the house makes me feel genuinely uncomfortable and I honestly don't even know what to say. I'm sorry but why is the end of the movie where Tige returns framed as a romantic reunion? Why would you ever..

Omg Tige's so clean now. They done put lotion on the boy and a pick through his hair and everything :')

??????

I feel like throwing up :)

Why r they...

Tige tells Marv he needs to shave and is getting fuzzy. What is this what is happening..

Why is there a romantic reunion and declarations of love sorry Tige is twelve and Marv is like sixty in human years and probably seven thousand in demon years like whagt is ACTUALLY JAPPENING

All I can do is stare speechless

After Tige tells Marv he loves him and hugs him and he leaves with his sisters we're left with Marv just sitting rigid in his chair unable to move or say anything and I just don't know what the movie wants me to think is happening. He really missed that boy so much that he fell immediately sick at the sight of him. This black child he kidnapped is genuinely his soulmate and I guess that's just the sickest shit that could've ever happened to ole Marv. It's honestly...really adorable? *crowd booing sounds*

???????? Marvin just has a picture of Tige on his mantel and it's the only picture up there. What does this movie honestly expect me to take away from all of this? Why would you make this movie? Why would you write any of these scenes to happen between an old drunk white man and a tuff talkin ethnic street child? What is really going on for real. All I can say is I'm genuinely relieved the 80s are over god what a dark and corroded decade *saying this from 2025 voice* Wait I'm wondering if this movie was trying to go for a more "woke" ~modern day~ Midnight Cowboy vibe but like instead of Rizzo the Rat or whatever it's a small black child? But wouldn't Marv be more Rizzo-coded? Then would that make Tige...the big dumb cowboy prostitute? Hmm much to think about *kills self instead*