With the recent deaths of Katherine Hepburn, Bob Hope, and Gregory Peck, the days of the Golden Age of cinema is starting to fade away. Now, a new age of actors and actresses are starting to emerge. Though it’s unclear whether or not they will carry the same grace or class that the Golden Age had, it’s very clear the new generation of thespians is marking their own territory. From the mainstream ingénues and leading men like Elijah Wood, Natalie Portman, Kirsten Dunst, and Ben Foster to the independent connoisseurs like Jake & Maggie Gyllenhaal, Keiran Culkin, Jena Malone, Jonathan Tucker, and Thora Birch. The new young group of actors is forging a new era in cinema while going back and forth from mainstream Hollywood projects to more, cerebral independent films. One recent young actress that is making a name for herself in the independent film scene is Scarlett Johansson, who made her cinematic breakthrough age 11 with the 1996 road-drama “Manny & Lo”.

Written & Directed by Lisa Krueger, “Manny & Lo” is a coming-of-age drama about two young runaway sisters trying to avoid the cops while the older sister is pregnant and the two kidnap a bizarre shop clerk. Now the premise of the film might seem to be in the same realm as another female-road film, “Thelma & Louise” but unlike “Thelma & Louise”, there’s no forced melodrama in Krueger’s script. Playing the title characters are Scarlett Johansson as the realistic, thoughtful Manny (who narrates throughout the film) and Aleska Palladino as the self-destructive, pregnant Lo. The film is a bleak but comical road trip to the woods where the two would find out about their own needs and lack of guidance while connecting with the bizarre shop clerk named Elaine played by Mary Kay Place. “Manny & Lo” is an excellent and thoughtful debut film from Lisa Krueger that shows the bonds of three women without going into the realm of melodramatic chick-flicks.

The movie begins with Manny & Lo sleeping in a lawn somewhere in suburbia as they wake up escaping the front lawn of a suburban family on their family station wagon. Lo, is often very disgruntled as she wants to avoid the cops so she and Manny couldn’t go back to another foster home while Manny, just wants to be with her sister and try to be more realistic about their trip. Manny & Lo would often go to shops, steal things, and find places to stay for the night, sometimes in their car. Then, Lo learns she is pregnant and is upset with her own boyfriend Joey (Glenn Fitzgerald) for giving her this burden. Lo wants to have an abortion but is denied one since she’s already months past for one.

The two keep driving where they find an old winter home in the middle of the woods where they would have shelter for the time being. Lo is becoming more disgruntled with her pregnancy as she smokes frequently in order to try and terminate the pregnancy while Manny is wondering where to get help. They come across a shop for babies where they find a bizarre shop clerk named Elaine, who seems to be an expert on baby products. Manny & Lo decide to stakeout for the night where the two kidnap Elaine and bring her to the house.

Elaine for some reason seems to act nonchalant towards her kidnapping, as she is force to be tied around her ankles throughout the ordeal. Lo is very aggressive towards Elaine by making her not do anything and put glass around the yard so she wouldn’t escape by foot. Manny though, is very warm to Elaine as they talk about babies, nursing, and stuff. Manny would look outside for anything unsuspecting where she befriends a neighborhood boy (Cameron Boyd). Lo, then suspects about the cool tone Elaine has taken about her kidnapping. Elaine meanwhile, gives Lo suggestions about her pregnancy, to stop smoking and eat better food for the baby.

Elaine becomes a motherly figure for Manny & Lo as the two discover Elaine’s bizarre behavior and her gift for knowing about babies. Then one day, the owner of the winter house (Paul Guilfoyle) comes to the house where Elaine knocks him out unconscious with only Manny knowing about the man. Elaine puts him in the garage as Lo suspects more about Elaine’s behavior. Then the film comes to the test to see who needs whom more as the growing bond for the three women come to ahead.

Krueger’s dramatic approach to the film at times comes off slow but it is carried by her script, particularly on the dialogue and bonding with the three women in the film. Krueger even add a bit of wit and quirkiness to the film, as it remained thought provoking and straightforward without going to melodramatic chick-flick clichés. The performances in the film are strong and eccentric in the film as Place, Palladino, and Johansson each bring in strong chemistry in their scenes together as well as individual moments. The veteran Mary Kay Place brings a masterful performance as the bizarre but motherly Elaine while Aleska Palladino brings a brash, wild performance as the self-destructive Lo.

The film’s breakthrough performance easily goes to Scarlett Johansson who brings a performance so brilliant, it equals to the same way her peers like Natalie Portman in “The Professional”, Kirsten Dunst in “Interview with the Vampire”, and Jena Malone in “Bastard Out of Carolina” broke through with their respective roles. Johansson captures an innocence as well as maturity into her role as a strong, intelligent eleven-year-old girl who cares for her sister and her desire for a caring parental individual. Her role in “Manny & Lo” would garner her a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award as she would appear in Robert Redford’s 1998 film “The Horse Whisperer” and standout indie films like “An American Rhapsody” with Nastassjia Kinski, Terry Zwigoff’s “Ghost World” with Steve Buscemi and Thora Birch, and the Coen Brothers film “The Man Who Wasn’t There” with Billy Bob Thorton and Frances McDormand.

“Manny & Lo” is an excellent, thoughtful debut from Lisa Krueger that features the wonderful performances of Mary Kay Place, Aleska Palladino, and Scarlett Johansson. Indie film fans undoubtedly, will enjoy “Manny & Lo” while fans of chick-flicks will enjoy the bonding between the three women in the film. Fans of Johansson, no doubt, will enjoy this film as they’re currently anticipating her next role in “Lost in Translation”, Sofia Coppola’s follow-up to her 1999 breakthrough film “The Virgin Suicides”. “Manny & Lo” is an excellent, film that shows three different women in age groups bonding together as one.

“Ghost World” (2001):

http://www.epinions.com/content_108939415172



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older