Friday, October 23, 2009

Going Gaga over Little Manhattan!

I've seen 'Little Manhattan' for countless times now. I just can't get enough of it. It doesn't fail to entertain me and to bring me into the other side of this world. I find myself smiling and laughing at each scene. It's just a simple puppy love story of two kids yet adults would definitely relate and learn from it. This is not the usual romantic comedy. Hats off to the creators of this film(directed and written by husband and wife Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett)!



While Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) and his father have a master plan to launch his Tiger Woods-like career as a place-kicker, he decides to begin taking Karate lessons. He takes the course because he is afraid that a kid in his school will beat him up. There he meets Rosemary Telesco, a girl he's known since kindergarten. But after being partnered with her for sparring, he suddenly notices her as a girl, not another face. To Gabe's elation, they begin spending time together and he is completely enamored with not only her, but her life. She lives with her loving upper-class parents on the edge of Central Park. Rosemary's parents take her and Gabe to hear a jazz pianist at The Carlyle, where the young twosome finally hold hands. The Telescos' life is in contrast to Gabe's; he lives with his soon-to-be-divorcing parents, who have declared an awkward truce while waiting for their divorce to be finalized.
As their relationship progresses, Gabe begins to question what is happening to him and why he is falling in love with Rosemary. When things seem to be going perfectly, Gabe's world is suddenly turned upside down. He discovers that Rosemary is soon leaving for camp for six weeks and won't be back until summer's end. And since she has moved up a belt in their karate class, she is given a new partner, a handsome and more athletic boy named Tim Staples, whom Gabe likens to
Ashton Kutcher. With their remaining time running out, Gabe tries to move closer to Rosemary but only drives her away. In a desperate move to win Rosemary back, Gabe tests for his yellow belt, but fractures his hand in a painful (and failed) attempt to break a board.
Being crushed with what love really is, he learns from his father that the parents' marriage fell apart because of things left unsaid. Realizing he is out of time, Gabe goes to find Rosemary. He interrupts her during the wedding reception she is attending and declares his love. Taken aback, Rosemary replies she doesn't think she is mature enough to be ready for love, but is really happy to see Gabe. She asks for a dance and Gabe agrees. As they dance, Gabe muses that he and Rosemary were on different paths - "like two ships that passed in
Sheep Meadow."
He returns home to find his parents laughing over their honeymoon experiences. Gabe is pleased and surprised when his father says he "cleared out some old stuff" and his parents appear to have reconciled. They happily go out for dinner, and as the movie ends, Gabe, narrating, summarizes what Rosemary meant to him: "...I'm never gonna get another first love. That one is always gonna be her."

Source: Wikipedia

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