I want to shine the spotlight on a nice, little movie that might slip under your radar, and it shouldn't. LITTLE MANHATTAN is about a young boy in NYC, named Gabe, and his first crush on a girl, ever. Quite an awkward transition, considering girls have cooties, and are gross horrible creatures to a boy of ten. Our hero though is growing up. Presently Gabe is 10 ¾ years old and the girl of his affection, is 11 year old Rosemary, who is quite a match in the karate class they both attend. Quite suddenly this strange change occurs and there Rosemary is. The same girl he had grown up with in school, and went to kindergarten with, but now it is different. He actually notices her. Where did this nervousness come from that springs up every time he is in her presence? What does it mean? It does not help matters any that his parent's are in the middle of a prolonged divorce, where they have to cohabitate the same apartment until the paperwork goes through. Oh, the insecurity! This thing called "love" is sure accompanied by a fair share of highs and lows. We were all there (or will be), what an age. I certainly am glad that you only have to go through that part of growing up, only once. The film captures the age & subject matter perfectly. All the questions, inner dialogue, and those puzzling things we notice about the opposite sex (and continue to notice as we grow up, I might add). That treacherous area we tread between youth and adolescence, fraught with a childlike confusion at this new territory. The two young actors playing Gabe and Rosemary hit the right chords. The filmmakers capture their viewpoint wonderfully, splashing it onto the screen. It is a great joy to watch this awkward stage played out so well, on film, in this love story for all ages. Don't let this one slip away. Rated PG.
