Perfect cast and a good story

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This movie is a perfect representation of how romantic comedies are formed. Every Romantic Comedy Ever is summed up in this movie. Literally every one of them smashed into one. From There's Something About Mary to Crazy Stupid Love, this film sums up all of them. Many parts of the movie can be very good, but some...Not so much.... For Example, The scene where Gabe goes all Psycho on Rosemary. It's basically like he's on his period or something. The rest of the movie is very good but will never amount to be a classic like Billy Elliot. The story itself is very well developed for this film and I like the narration from Gabe (most of the times) and the inspirational speech from Josh Hutcherson. Other problems with this film are that the CGI effects in Gabe's fantasies or dreams are mostly pretty cheesy but it doesn't really matter, because It's a kid's fantasy. And that is the end of my review. Thanks for reading.

Little Manhattan is the story of first love of a pair of charming fifth graders. The actors playing the two leads, Josh Hutcherson and Charlie Ray, are utterly fascinating and brilliant to watch. Charlie Ray, the girl, in fact made her film debut with this wonderful ode to first love. Mark Levin directed the film written by Jennifer Flackett, and it hearkens back to the days of Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years. Levin wrote several episodes of the series and uses the same voice over technique of the young male actor narrating events as they happen. The end result is an honest and real look at subject matter that has rarely been this poignant and ingratiating. Melody, a British film from 1971, comes to mind. The film contains wonderful location footage in and around Manhattan and a hilarious homage to The Graduate. Additional subtle odes to Play It Again Sam, A Little Romance, and The Karate Kid are apparent as well. Flackett's screenplay is never clichéd, cloying or maudlin and is the biggest reason why the film succeeds. The performances are honest, real, and true to life. It's an excellent, entertaining film to watch with youngsters similar in age to the young leads. *** of 4 stars.

In a world of romantic comedies that with each passing year exponentially dumb down their stories, feature increasingly mediocre acting, and finish with cheesy, predictable endings; it's simply poetic justice that a low-budget movie starring two pre-teens out-shines, and shows up some of Hollywoods' highest paid performers.I happened to come across this movie a few days ago on Lifetime. Having remembered trailers for it when it first came out four years ago, I was hesitant but then again, i was alone, and nothing else was on. for about the first 15 minutes, i was waiting for a reason to get annoyed by this movie and change the channel. But by halfway in, i had become so emotionally invested in the characters of Gabe and Rosemary and their would-be relationship that at times i was out of my chair screaming at the TV.As for this story i talk of, it begins with Gabe and Rosemary as friends from kindergarten until the pandemic of cooties separates them until the 5th grade when Rosemary and Gabe are paired as sparring partners at karate class. Soon, their play dates "practicing" leads Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) head over heels for the adorable Rosemary (Charlie Ray) amidst a divorce between Gabe's parents.Little Manhattan's success rides completely on the shoulders of Hutcherson and Ray, who come through with superb performances, and are helped by an very well written script. L.M. has the ability to bring the audience to fits of joy, laughter, heartbreak, and tears much like the characters on screen do. As for me, this movie was like looking through a time capsule of myself as 10/11. Listening to Gabe's inner monologue seemed to be as if listening to myself word for word, and at times, Gabe can deliver some surprisingly wise commentary, preaching about the truth about love and it's trials and tribulations.If anything, many of the scenes in L.M. are genius and bring a great deal of magic onto the screen. My favorite scene, and one that brought a 16 year old boy such as myself to tears, was a little over halfway in. Gabe is invited by Rosemary to a jazz concert in NY. As the music begins to play, Gabe is yelling at himself to do or not to hold Rosemary's hand. When he does it lasts for about a second and Rosemary quickly pulls away, causing Gabe and the audience to panic momentarily. From Gabe's POV, we see Rosemary wipe the sweat from her hand on her blouse and this time, she reaches out and slowly grabs Gabe's hand. They then look at each other and smile, and the camera cuts away to a shot of them hand-to-hand, next to each other, and they are at least for now, in love.I'd recommend this movie to anyone and I disagree with people labeling it as a date movie, or a movie targeted for young girls. There isn't a specific gender or age group that would or would not appreciate this movie; instead this movie will hit close to home for anyone who's ever felt the joy and pain of being in love.

I am not saying this is a bad movie, but I just didn't like it.10 year old Gabe finds first love in Manhattan and experiments with it. But when he discovers the bad side to love he gets confused and tells her he loves her.I did not enjoy this film. It was really funny and light hearted. It deserves a 7 because of acting, being extremely cheesy and me not enjoying it. It was funny, charming, and cheesy but I didn't like it. While my whole family enjoyed but I was just a little disappointing. I recommend this romantic comedy to any one with a free Saturday night and is in the mood for something that will keep you from falling asleep. But there are much more movies that can replace this one.