Common Sense Note
Parents should know that this movie about tween romance shows a little kissing and some wrestling around on the floor. The kids disobey their parents, leave their neighborhood, and take the subway alone. There's some mild peril when they encounter bullies. Gabe deals with his parents getting a divorce. He also speeds across the street on his scooter without looking.
Families can talk about the ideas of love that movies, including this one, give viewers. Is love really the way the movie describes? Do you have to suffer to be in love? Do you believe Gabe when he says that love is about "grand gestures" instead of small things? Is that true in Gabe's parents' relationship? What other messages about love does this film give you? Do you think they're accurate?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Heather Boerner
Teens are often shown images of romance that are either unrealistically sweet or unbelievably raunchy. Between the two sits LITTLE MANHATTAN, a revelation of a small film that's essentially When Harry Met Sally for the tween set.
Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) is 11 3/4 and living in a weird world. His mother and father (played by the fabulous Cynthia Nixon and Bradley Whitford) are separated and getting a divorce but still live together. His dad sleeps on the couch and every item in their fridge is labeled with someone's name. He also pretty much thinks every girl is gross. "This much I know first hand: Love ends," deadpans the world-weary 11-year-old.
But maybe not. When Gabe starts karate, Rosemary (Charlie Ray) captures his imagination. He's known her since kindergarten, but now, as his sparring partner, Rosemary's strength and beauty enchant Gabe. He grapples, to hilarious effect and with some fun fantasy sequences, with how he's suddenly changing. He feels the need to ride his scooter past her house constantly. His hands sweat. His heart pounds. "You're weak and pathetic and you're going to be alone for your entire life," he berates himself when he finally sees Rosemary on one of his stakeouts. Anyone who's every had a crush is likely to relate.
It's almost creepy how similar this film is to When Harry Met Sally -- the conceit of "men and women can't be friends" becomes "girls mature faster than boys." In one scene where Rosemary and Gabe are at a birthday party that Rosemary's toddler sister is attending, Rosemary somewhat snootily says, "See, she's using her hands and talking, and he's drooling over a cupcake." The girl toddler, it turns out, is three months younger than the boy.
After all the girl vs. boy banter, you eventually get to the scene where Gabe races to find Rosemary and profess his love for her. But the refreshing difference here is that the true love story is saved for the adults -- mercifully, Little Manhattan doesn't force its child stars to grow up too fast.
People who enjoy this movie will also like the touching tween boy-girl friendships in Bridge to Terabithia and My Girl.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentYoung Adam and Leslie kiss, and again later, the adult versions of them kiss. Gabe and Rosemary sit on a subway train where a couple is making out next to them. Gabe kisses Rosemary once on the lips, and replays it in his head many times. The pair wrestles a little on the floor. |
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ViolenceA lot of karate-related kicking, punching, and tripping. Gabe falls off his scooter but isn't hurt. A bully throws a ball hard during dodgeball and hurts some kids, but not seriously. Rosemary and Adam beat up the bully using karate. Gabe breaks his hand trying to break a board in karate. |
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LanguageTwo uses of the word "hell." |
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Social BehaviorGabe's friend talks about shoplifting candy. Gabe and Rosemary lie to their parents and leave their neighborhood on the subway alone. There's a lot of dangerous speeding across the street on Gabe's scooter. But the overall message is to follow your feelings and be honest about them. |
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CommercialismTwo references to Haagen-Dazs ice cream. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoDuring a night out on the town, Gabe and Rosemary drink Shirley Temples while Rosemary's parents drink wine. |
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