Welcome back to...2005! Yep, we're still exploring what I'm realizing is one of my favorite Josh eras...but more on that later.
After all, Josh's film Little Manhattan deserves its five seconds of fame on my blog and if you've seen it - you know exactly what I mean.
If you haven't - let me give you the cliff notes. Baby Josh is back, and this time, he stars as Gabe, your typical "10-and-3/4-year-old" kid living in New York. What sets him apart? He's more romantic than most men I know in their 20s and 30s! Gabe falls head over heels for Rosemary, a confident 11-year-old in his karate class, and is determined to kiss her before she goes off to camp.
And - spoiler alert - he succeeds! This, as far as I'm aware, is another milestone for Josh's career: his first on screen kiss!
This movie also felt like the first one where Josh was TRULY the main character and was given the screen time to support that. Yes, he was a main character in both Miracle Dogs and Motorcross Kids, but he was sharing a lot of screen time with the adults in those films...and even the animals. In Little Manhattan, the adults take a back seat and the child actors really get to shine.
I wouldn't be surprised if Josh had the most highlighter marks on his Little Manhattan script compared to his previous projects since he even provided his own voiceover. Gabe served as the narrator for the entire film and the story is told through his perspective. This POV brings a lot of comedic elements in - I couldn't help but giggle as Gabe internally freaked out over not knowing when to go for the kiss or felt puzzled over the first-time butterflies he was getting. This movie is truly a beautiful coming of age story that depicts the complicated feelings that arise from having your first crush...and your first heartbreak!
If you're wondering who could possibly dare to break Baby Josh's heart...fair question...and I encourage you to watch the film to get the full scoop on how the story between Gabe and Rosemary ended. Yes, this film is twenty years old, but I'll try to save you a few sips instead of spilling every last drop of tea.
This film is a 5/5 stars pick for me, but there's one small thing that puzzled me during my viewing. I haven't been 11 for a long time...but I don't remember using the sophisticated language that Rosemary and Gabe used at that age! Perhaps the script was written this way to build Rosemary's character and paint the picture that she was this "mature" and intelligent kid, raised by wealthy parents. Now, this is a movie about kids "falling in love" so it doesn't need to be super realistic, but I may have been immersed in the story a little more if the language felt more natural for their age range.
This criticism aside, I'd drop everything and find this on Amazon Prime Video or Hulu if you haven't enjoyed this one yet!
Peace and Joshperity,
G
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