The exquisite anguish of first love - that awkward playground crush which still lingers in the memory - is beautifully captured in Marc Levin's smartly written romantic comedy, set against the back-drop of New York City's leafy parks and bustling avenues.
Screenwriter Jennifer Flackett employs wry humour to dissect the pitfalls of amour fou for the pre-teen characters, for whom falling in love is a matter of life and death (or so it seems at the time).
"When you're 10-years-old, two and a half weeks can be a lifetime," says Gabe (Josh Hutcherson), the film's savvy and lovesick narrator, who suffers at the hands of Cupid and is prone to soul-searching. He's remarkably articulate for one so young, with crisp one-liners and piercing insights into the human condition and his own neuroses. Indeed, the little fella seems more equipped to deal with affairs of the heart than his own father.
He and co-star Ray deliver natural performances, bringing out their characters' vulnerability and naivete without seeming forced. Gabe begins: "The story of me and Rosemary is not for those with a weak stomach. There's violence, heartache and cruelty. But I'm gonna tell it because someone has finally got to tell the truth about love..."
Gabe Burton is like any other fifth grader: trying to fit in at school, occasionally at odds with his parents and completely uninterested in girls... until he takes karate classes and is partnered with Rosemary.
A crush on Rosemary (Charlie Ray) excites and torments him. When she says she is leaving for summer camp, Gabe has to risk everything - even humiliating himself - to tell her how he feels.
Little Manhattan is truly delightful and, apart from a couple of clumsy contrivances, there's a ring of truth to the characters' trials and tribulations. Allow yourself to fall in love with Levin's film.
Movie double-acts come in all shapes and sizes ...and with varying degrees of success.
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