ABC del amor

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.

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")

Little Manhattan was a fun ride from beginning to end.

I took my wife and daughters who are 13 and 11 years old and everyone had a good time. I really lost my self in this story. It was good natured without being corny.

This is the first time I saw a movie that makes me want to visit New York.

With all of the mean spirited movies out today this reminds of how nice it is to enjoy a good story. I would like to see more of this kind of writing in every movie.

I plan to buy the DVD for my 11 year old when it becomes available.

I watched this film on recommendation from a good friend whose opinion I trust, and let me tell you I was not disappointed. I think I would pity anyone who watches this film, and cannot find a way to relate to its subject matter. Most of the humor (and one of the things that make this movie so good) is that t is based on the assumption that the viewer relates to the events on screen. I can remember times in my life where I had the same feelings as Gabe and the same fears about acting on them.

The performances by the two young stars are very good, while neither of these children may have the talent of Haley Joel Osment or Dakota Fanning (although many recent Academy Award winners do not have the acting chops of Miss Fanning). None the less these kids do a wonderful job; they give performances both humorous and nuanced. These are two truly likable you actors and I look forward to seeing them in future endeavors.

This film does not break any new ground in telling a love story, but where it is innovative is in approaching the subject both from the perspective of children, and more specifically, focusing on this from specifically the boys point of view. Perhaps this made it resonate more with me, being a man who can vividly remember what it was like to first begin to experience the feelings that Gabe begins to experience in this film. However this is a film for all, and is more than acceptable for young and old. I am not certain if children too young to relate to the subject matter would have a full appreciation of the film, however the physical comedy and less subtle humor will certainly still play well with a young audience.

It is a shame that this film did not have a more successful initial run, I have yet to personally come across anyone who saw this film and did not love it as I do. I hope that people will find this movie at their local video store and give it a chance, as it is easily the best romantic comedy of the last year.

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.