Manny & Lo

This movie was wonderful. The characters were developed so well I felt as if I knew them. Mary Kay Place was in top form. This movie was unpredictable yet allowed you to come up with your own view as to the future of the characters in the end. This is one of those movies that are a diamond in the rough; a movie that once given a chance, and viewed will be watched by many because of word of mouth. I loved this movie!

Laurel (Aleksa Palladino) is 16 year old Lo. Amanda (Scarlett Johansson) is her 11 year old sister Manny. The sisters run away from their separate foster parents. They steal gas and food. They break into empty houses. They get by until Lo has to finally admit that she's not fat, she's pregnant. They squat in an off-season ski cabin. They kidnap baby-store saleswoman Elaine (Mary Kay Place) to help them with the birth.

The story is fine for an indie. The dialog isn't anything great. This is all about the two young actresses. ScarJo is lovely in one of her early roles. She seems to always have that raspy voice. Palladino is great. They have really good sisterly chemistry. The movie could be a little sharper with the comedy and dialog. Overall, it's a fun indie with those great young actresses.

"Manny & Lo" tells of two runaway girls and the how they deal with the challenges which arise when one gets pregnant. What this film lacks in big budget blockbuster appurtenances it more than makes up for with it's creative and unpredictable story, depth of character, raw charm, tongue-in-cheek humor, and insightful sensitivity. A wonderful little "sleeper" which necessarily starts slow and builds delivering pound-for-pound much more than films with many times the hype and box office. Most likely to be appreciated by females and more mature males.

One of Scarlett Johansson's early roles was this indie about a pair of orphaned sisters. Lisa Krueger's "Manny & Lo" is simultaneously intense, funny, disturbing and all-around enjoyable. Johansson and co-stars Aleksa Palladino (who more recently appeared in "The Irishman") and Mary Kay Place make it work every step of the way. Definitely check it out.

A 90s independent film that deals with the youthful issues that Clark, Solondz, and Linklater addressed in their own ways, but here the director gave it the texture of a panda-like doll to show us the palpable loneliness of these kinds of stories. And it's loneliness that the three main characters carry with them, who have no direction, except for Manny, who, being at an age of exploration, identifies life differently, amidst crime, anarchy, and the deep America. Manny & Lo is 6 stars.