A BOY'S FIRST LOVE, A CITY NEVER LOVELIER.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic 'LITTLE MANHATTAN'' opens with the shot of a boy blubbering blub·ber 1 v. blub·bered, blub·ber·ing, blub·bers v.intr. To sob noisily. See Synonyms at cry. v.tr. 1. To utter while crying and sobbing. 2. - rarely a good sign - with said tot soon informing us through a ``Wonder Years''-style voice-over (another uh-oh) that all this crying is because he's been in love for 2 1/2 weeks and he can't stop throwing up. At this point, you may also want to grab a barf bag barf bag n. A disposable plastic or paper bag provided to a passenger by an airline for use in case of airsickness. . But out of this inauspicious in·aus·pi·cious adj. Not favorable; not auspicious. in  aus·pi beginning, ``Little Manhattan'' pulls out of its tailspin tail·spin n. 1. The rapid descent of an aircraft in a steep, spiral spin. 2. Informal A loss of emotional control sometimes resulting in emotional collapse. and becomes something quite startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. - a sweet story about first love that manages to be a great date movie for adults, too. Granted, with the likes of ``Must Love Dogs'' and ``Dirty Love'' as the competition, ``Little Manhattan'' doesn't need to even remotely approach, say, Woody Allen's ``Manhattan'' and still be considered the masterpiece of this year's romantic-comedy crop. But ``Little Manhattan,'' written by Jennifer Flackett and directed by Mark Levin (the team behind ``Wimbledon,'' but don't let that scare you away), doesn't need to be damned with faint praise. It presents the story of an 11-year-old boy, Gabe (Josh Hutcherson), who gets bulldozed by his love for an older woman - the 12-year-old Rosemary (Charlie Ray) - with equal measures The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page. of heart and humor. You can't help but be charmed. As you might guess by the title, the two youngsters live in Manhattan, specifically the Upper East Side, and the movie doesn't just ``heart'' N.Y., it positively adores it, planting a big wet kiss on some of the city's most identifiable locations. But in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of this romanticized view of the city, ``Little Manhattan'' also has a nice, measured take on romance, as evidenced by Gabe's relationship with his parents - Adam (Bradley Whitford) and Leslie (Cynthia Nixon) - who are separated and, in Leslie's case at least, attempting to chart the choppy seas of love on their own once again. When the movie circles back to Gabe's crying jag, we really feel for the kid - and the mom, too. Gabe's first love won't be his last, of course, but he does learn that it's better not to leave things unsaid. It's a fine little lesson, not overstated o·ver·state tr.v. o·ver·stat·ed, o·ver·stat·ing, o·ver·states To state in exaggerated terms. See Synonyms at exaggerate. o . Gabe won't learn it for years, of course, but that's another story for another movie. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com LITTLE MANHATTAN - Three stars (PG: mild thematic elements, language) Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Charlie Ray, Bradley Whitford, Cynthia Nixon. Director: Mark Levin. Running time: 1 hr. 26 min. Playing: Selected theaters. In a nutshell: A sweet little romance for anyone who has a heart. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Eleven-year-old Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) falls hard for an older woman - the 12-year-old Rosemary (Charlie Ray) - in ``Little Manhattan.'' |
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