Review of Little Manhattan (2005) by Nicholas V — 20 Sep 2007

This is not what you would call your average family film. This is one that somewhat bends the rules, mainly because it's about first love. It's that one thing we've all gone through, even if you never want to admit it. The main story focuses on Gabe Burton, played by Josh Hutcherson, who is almost 11 and is under the same mentality of all other guys his age: that girls have cooties. That is, until he reaquaints himself with Rosemary Telesco (newcomer Charlie Ray) in a karate class. He sees her in a whole new light and begins to feel those things that he has never felt before. At the same time, his parents (Bradley Whitford & Cynthia Nixon) are going through a divorce that requires them to stay in the same house until their divorce is finalized. With his mom already back in the dating world, it makes for the weirdest living environment for him. At the same time, his feelings for Rosemary grow, that is until he finds out that she will be going to camp in a week. Now Gabe has to make the most of it with her, even if it hurts him.

I'll make it clear, I loved this movie. It made me think about all of the awkwardness that there is when you fall in love, and not just the first itme either. It's always there. Since it's told from Gabe's perspective, we hear his inner-monolauge, which shows exactly how he is feeling and reacting. The director, Mark Levin, used to work on the televison show 'The Wonder Years', and the narration constantly reminded me of the show almost the whole time, but I found here that it worked just as well as it did there. Still, I will say this much, you have to see this movie. It gets everything right, even with an ending that is real and not phony. Even though this movie is rated PG, there should be something in it to relate to everyone, whether you're 8 or 80.