Little Manhattan

If you live in the City, and you like romantic comedies, this is for you. Sure its simple minded, predictable, and a bit schmoltzy, but it is really great.

First, you get a full and accurate tour of the City: Central Park, Upper West Side, the Village, its all in there, with proper continuity in the story (i.e. characters don't hyperspace around town to make the shots work).

Second, you get a great "first love" story. The lead character "Gabe" provides an amazing narrative of his experience with "Rosemary". It has the exploratory vantage point of youth coupled with the insightful perspective of adulthood.

And did I mention that you get Full Frontal New York City? Yeah, the City that is a city is basically an excellent supporting character in the movie, gently providing background and balance to the story.

Again, it won't be winning any awards anytime soon, but it will put a smile on your face.

In Manhattan, the 10 ¾ years old Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) finds his first love when he meets his former kindergarten mate, the eleven years old Rosemary (Charlie Ray), in his karate classes. Confused with his new feelings and with the divorce process of his beloved parents, Leslie (Cynthia Nixon) and Adam (Bradley Whitford), he experiences the delightful unknown sensation of being in love for the first time.

When my friends from the best rental in Rio de Janeiro recommended this movie, I was quite reluctant to buy it. Fortunately I listened to their advice and saw this great little gem. The sensitive director Mark Levin has captured many adorable scenes and sequence of this lovely and charming central pair in delightful situations. Further, orphans of "Sex & the City" like me have the chance to see Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) and Willie Garson (Stanford Blatch) again. I would like to thank you, Cris and my dearest friends of Imaginario, for your recommendation. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O ABC do Amor" ("The ABC of Love")

It's about time! I've been tired of the usual romantic comedies -- guy in high-school/college/work falls in love with beautiful girl -- the courting.. the romanticism (i mean physical stuff! a lot of it!).. breakup.. rejoining.. happy ever after.

The usual formula.. it's followed since the start of time and it will remain there until the nukes destroy this world. BUT this movie had something different to offer.. of course there's a guy and definitely there's a girl.. and yES! he falls in love! that's obvious.. wouldn't be a romantic comedy without that..

One thing that is definitely different in this case is that the boy is a 10 yr old and the girl.. um.. 11 yrs..

So.. yeah.. a brilliant concept.. looking at love from the perspective of a kid. Something we saw before in The Wonder Years of course.. but much more. It gives you a very personal look at New York and Manhattan. The emotions and the feelings evoked by the whole affair in the situation is realistic and very funny.

Overall a feel good movie with a different twist on the physical side of love.. Please watch it! I'm sure you'll love every second!

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.

This is a great movie. I was laughing through the whole thing, not because it's a comedy, per se, but rather because I can relate to Gabe on so many levels. What I mean is, this film will resonate with any of you guys out there who've ever felt uneasy getting close to a girl, and with any girls who've ever known a guy to be that way. This is a real family film that is actually appropriate enough to be viewed by the whole family, and those can be hard to find these days. All of the actors did a great job, especially Josh Hutcherson (Gabe) and Charlie Ray (Rosemary). They did an amazing job. The story is interesting the whole way through - very entertaining, and I recommend this movie to you.