Manny & Lo

I thought Manny and Lo was an enjoyable and fun movie. It quite had profanity in some scenes. So it is not a great recommendation for children. Probably, it could be for 14 and up. It is not surprising to see that movie draw some criticism from some men about not many male characters in this movie. Well... obviously, some movies are made for female audience while men have plenty million movies that are made for male audience. So it would be nice to see more predominately female movies. At least this movie was not man-bashing. It was all about two homeless sisters who were on a journey and seek a loving home or place to settle for the baby. Despite their wrongdoings or flaws, I still loved the special relationship between two sisters. They truly cared and protect each other. They willing to die for each other.

I never thought I genuinely enjoyed Scarlett johansson's 11 year old witty and clever character. Never knew she did do fantastic job as a child. I grew up watching her acting performance as a teenager and adult. I still love her acting especially in Marvel movies. Not just the storyline, I believe Manny or the sisters' bond was a main reason I kept watching the entire movie. It was interesting to see how they slowly built trust and relationship with Elaine throughout the movie. So I thought it was a superb movie.

To be frank, it is not fair for some predominately female movies to be dragged down for not having a lot of male actors but predominately male movies still hold high despite no or a few female characters. It appalled me when Sean Connery and his old Jame Bond movies displayed some misogyny and other male movies sexually objectified women receive high ratings while female movies usually address some taboo topics or have fun/silly storylines or create female superheroes that save the entire world without male bashings or unnecessary nudes have low ratings which it should be high rating anyway. But again, this is still a patriarchal world where some men only like some movies if it shows nude and submission of women in the movies while men stay "superior" or "dominant". Sad...

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.

I think it could use some editing to speed the pace a bit. A pregnant teen and her younger sister run away from foster homes and kidnap a woman whom they believe can help with the pregnancy. This is the kind of low-budget film that truly proves that a small story can be much more meaningful than a larger one. This film is worthy of all the hopes you have as all of the characters struggle against a system that has perpetuated falsehoods. Are there annoying things in this movie? Yes, like the overdone acting. But the movie has enough to keep you entertained. For these reasons, I give this movie a rating of 7 out of 10.

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.