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Parents' Guide to

Little Manhattan

By Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Refreshingly realistic tween tale of first love.

Movie PG 2005 90 minutes
Little Manhattan Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 1 parent review

Erica Rios
Erica Rios Parent of 8-year-old
March 9, 2009
age 11+

Sweet boy learning about love

It was nice to watch a movie that reminds me that little boys, like girls, come from a place of innocence and that learning about love is a fun, exciting and sometimes heartbreaking experience. My daughter is only 8 and gets grossed out by kissing. (She's still in the boys have coodie faze. Thank goodness!) However, I highly recommend this movie for the parents of 11 year olds and above. It'd be a great way to talk about importance of growing up slowly.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) is 11 3/4 and living in a weird world. His mother and father (Cynthia Nixon and Bradley Whitford) are separated and getting a divorce but still live together. 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, and he grapples with how he's suddenly changing.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (25 ):

Teens are often shown images of romance that are either unrealistically sweet or unbelievably raunchy; between the two sits the charming LITTLE MANHATTAN. It's a revelation of a small film that's essentially When Harry Met Sally for the tween set. In fact, it's a little creepy how alike the movies are. 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.

Anyone who's ever had a crush is likely to relate to Gabe. 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. Finally, viewers 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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • 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?

Movie Details

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