Little Manhattan (2005)

A 10-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl find love in New York City.

Director:

Mark Levin

Writer:

Jennifer Flackett

Stars:

Josh Hutcherson, Charlotte Ray Rosenberg, Bradley Whitford

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Josh Hutcherson	...	Gabe
Charlotte Ray Rosenberg	...	Rosemary (as Charlie Ray)
Bradley Whitford	...	Adam
Cynthia Nixon	...	Leslie
Willie Garson	...	Ralph
Tonye Patano	...	Birdie
J. Kyle Manzay	...	Master Coles
Josh Pais	...	Ronny
John Dossett	...	Mickey Telesco
Talia Balsam	...	Jackie Telesco
Jonah Meyerson	...	Sam
Michael Bush	...	Max (as Michael Anthony Bush)
Brian W. Aguiar	...	Jacob
Nick Cubbler	...	Daryl Kitzens
Anthony Laflamme	...	Tim Staples

Storyline

In Manhattan, 10-year-old Gabe finds his first love when he meets his former kindergarten mate, eleven-year-old Rosemary, in his karate classes. Confused with his new feelings and with the divorce process of his beloved parents, Leslie and Adam, he experiences the delightful unknown sensation of being in love for the first time.

---

Plot Keywords:

first love | beating heart | karate | school | boy riding a razor scooter | 

---

Taglines:

Nothing's as big as your first love.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements, language and brief action

Did You Know?

Trivia

If there ever was a sequel to Little Manhattan the "height difference" wouldn't play a part anymore. Actress Charlotte Ray Rosenberg (Rosemary) is now (in 2020) 1,60 meters tall (63") and Josh Hutcherson (Gabe) 1,70 meters (67").

---

Goofs

Both boards that are broken (Rosemary's and Tim's) have visible seams running down them where they are supposed to split. Tim's is very obvious. Rosemary's is more evident along the top portion of the board.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Gabe: For those of you out there less experienced that me let me tell you something about girls. They're basically gross. See this is pretty much black and white from where i'm standing. Used to be back in the day maybe first or second grade popular wisdom was they give you cooties.

---

Connections

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Actors Who Had Their First Kiss on Screen (2018)

---

Soundtracks

At Last
Written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren
Performed by Etta James
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Sweet, Funny, Brilliant, & Unique

I watched this film on recommendation from a good friend whose opinion I trust, and let me tell you I was not disappointed. I think I would pity anyone who watches this film, and cannot find a way to relate to its subject matter. Most of the humor (and one of the things that make this movie so good) is that t is based on the assumption that the viewer relates to the events on screen. I can remember times in my life where I had the same feelings as Gabe and the same fears about acting on them.

The performances by the two young stars are very good, while neither of these children may have the talent of Haley Joel Osment or Dakota Fanning (although many recent Academy Award winners do not have the acting chops of Miss Fanning). None the less these kids do a wonderful job; they give performances both humorous and nuanced. These are two truly likable you actors and I look forward to seeing them in future endeavors.

This film does not break any new ground in telling a love story, but where it is innovative is in approaching the subject both from the perspective of children, and more specifically, focusing on this from specifically the boys point of view. Perhaps this made it resonate more with me, being a man who can vividly remember what it was like to first begin to experience the feelings that Gabe begins to experience in this film. However this is a film for all, and is more than acceptable for young and old. I am not certain if children too young to relate to the subject matter would have a full appreciation of the film, however the physical comedy and less subtle humor will certainly still play well with a young audience.

It is a shame that this film did not have a more successful initial run, I have yet to personally come across anyone who saw this film and did not love it as I do. I hope that people will find this movie at their local video store and give it a chance, as it is easily the best romantic comedy of the last year.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 January 2006 (Puerto Rico)

Also Known As:

Flowergirl

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,397, 2 October 2005

Gross USA:

$385,373

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,254,005

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Regency Productions, Epsilon Motion Pictures, Pariah

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1