"Manny & Lo" tells of two runaway girls and the how they deal with the challenges which arise when one gets pregnant. What this film lacks in big budget blockbuster appurtenances it more than makes up for with it's creative and unpredictable story, depth of character, raw charm, tongue-in-cheek humor, and insightful sensitivity. A wonderful little "sleeper" which necessarily starts slow and builds delivering pound-for-pound much more than films with many times the hype and box office. Most likely to be appreciated by females and more mature males.
15 Reviews
Run-away girls bond with older, single woman
barryrd13 March 2011
I saw this film for the first time on TV Ontario last night and it was a beautiful film both visually and emotionally. Lo (Aleska Palladino) and her younger sister, Manny (Scarlett Johansson) run away using a family car. When the film opens, we find them on the fresh, green turf of a new sub-division being chased away by the property owners. Lo is sixteen and pregnant and Manny is an 11-year-old with smarts. They make the rounds of the countryside and small towns and kidnap Elaine (Mary Kay Place), a retail clerk working in a baby boutique. Elaine is made to sign a note that she is on vacation, leaving her owner and co-workers to fend for themselves. This is totally out of character for Elaine, who is a pillar of her community with a heart of gold. As the movie moves along, we see a bond develop between the three female characters with Elaine becoming the mother figure to the free-spirited sisters, who come from a troubled family. The girls learn from Elaine as she fills a void in her own life. Director Lisa Krueger has put together a fine story that moves along slowly but draws the viewer into the characters.
Good
manitobaman8122 August 2014
I think it could use some editing to speed the pace a bit. A pregnant teen and her younger sister run away from foster homes and kidnap a woman whom they believe can help with the pregnancy. This is the kind of low-budget film that truly proves that a small story can be much more meaningful than a larger one. This film is worthy of all the hopes you have as all of the characters struggle against a system that has perpetuated falsehoods. Are there annoying things in this movie? Yes, like the overdone acting. But the movie has enough to keep you entertained. For these reasons, I give this movie a rating of 7 out of 10.
A female version of my male adolescense
mat_sub_zero23 March 2003
How 2 youngsters dealt with a traumatic situation, alone, 'till they thought it was beyond their control. To resort to kidnapping! (Kidnapee or kidnapper ?)I identify with Manny because she thinks for herself with subtle conclusions, knowing what's right disspite. I identify with Elaine because when I grew up I ended up alone. And Lo 'is' my brother (For how he took care of me at that age) I've been a movie buff for 29 years (since I was 10), and "Manny & Lo" is on the top of my list!!!!! Thank you Scarlett, Aleksa, & Marry Kay....Thank you.
great young actresses
SnoopyStyle6 February 2016
Laurel (Aleksa Palladino) is 16 year old Lo. Amanda (Scarlett Johansson) is her 11 year old sister Manny. The sisters run away from their separate foster parents. They steal gas and food. They break into empty houses. They get by until Lo has to finally admit that she's not fat, she's pregnant. They squat in an off-season ski cabin. They kidnap baby-store saleswoman Elaine (Mary Kay Place) to help them with the birth.
The story is fine for an indie. The dialog isn't anything great. This is all about the two young actresses. ScarJo is lovely in one of her early roles. She seems to always have that raspy voice. Palladino is great. They have really good sisterly chemistry. The movie could be a little sharper with the comedy and dialog. Overall, it's a fun indie with those great young actresses.
The story is fine for an indie. The dialog isn't anything great. This is all about the two young actresses. ScarJo is lovely in one of her early roles. She seems to always have that raspy voice. Palladino is great. They have really good sisterly chemistry. The movie could be a little sharper with the comedy and dialog. Overall, it's a fun indie with those great young actresses.
No men allowed
DennisLittrell25 March 2000
This is the sweetest film. It's definitely a 'chick thing' with Manny and Lo and Elaine bonding around an infant to be (Lo's). No men are allowed in this paradise. One appears and he gets bopped over the head, gagged and hog-tied. This is a fem-family made on the run. Lo (Aleska Palladino) in her high teens runs away from a foster home with her younger sister, Manny (Scarlett Johansson). It's a Thelma and Louise crime spree made as a movie for children. Well, not quite. Turns out Lo's pregnant. She has been hiding this from 11-year-old Manny, who has the eye of Sherlock Holmes and is the brains of this team. They find a rather nice, used only during the ski season cabin in the woods and hole up to await the stork. They spot Elaine (Mary Kay Place), a lonely spinster working in a baby clothes shop and kidnap her to help deliver the baby. Everybody, despite gruff exteriors, has a heart of gold, and togetherness and loving concern prevail.
And what's wrong with that?
Nothing really. But I was thinking: this is the obverse of male war movies where none or few women appear, men doing their manly thing killing one another, women irrelevant. I think that's the key word here for director Lisa Kruege: in the reproductive game that is war by other means, men are irrelevant. Or almost so. In war it doesn't matter how many men are killed. As long as there are some left the population will quickly spring back. Kill the women, though, and you have a serious population problem. Manny and Lo and Elaine prove that you really don't need the male: his sperm will do, and that way you don't have to put up with his loutish behavior.
I think I got this right. Anyway, it's a cute movie.
(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)
And what's wrong with that?
Nothing really. But I was thinking: this is the obverse of male war movies where none or few women appear, men doing their manly thing killing one another, women irrelevant. I think that's the key word here for director Lisa Kruege: in the reproductive game that is war by other means, men are irrelevant. Or almost so. In war it doesn't matter how many men are killed. As long as there are some left the population will quickly spring back. Kill the women, though, and you have a serious population problem. Manny and Lo and Elaine prove that you really don't need the male: his sperm will do, and that way you don't have to put up with his loutish behavior.
I think I got this right. Anyway, it's a cute movie.
(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)
band on the run
lee_eisenberg19 March 2022
One of Scarlett Johansson's early roles was this indie about a pair of orphaned sisters. Lisa Krueger's "Manny & Lo" is simultaneously intense, funny, disturbing and all-around enjoyable. Johansson and co-stars Aleksa Palladino (who more recently appeared in "The Irishman") and Mary Kay Place make it work every step of the way. Definitely check it out.
Absolutely Great!
RodClif6 May 1999
This movie was wonderful. The characters were developed so well I felt as if I knew them. Mary Kay Place was in top form. This movie was unpredictable yet allowed you to come up with your own view as to the future of the characters in the end. This is one of those movies that are a diamond in the rough; a movie that once given a chance, and viewed will be watched by many because of word of mouth. I loved this movie!
A Nice, Warm-Hearted Family Movie... With Lots Of Cussing
hokeybutt22 September 2004
MANNY & LO (2 outta 5 stars)
Not a bad movie... just kind of pointless after all is said and done. Two orphaned sisters (one of them pregnant) take the family car and go on the road, trying to keep from getting separated and put into foster homes. Not knowing what to do about the baby on the way, the two young girls kidnap a woman who works in a maternity goods store and hide out in a secluded cabin in the woods. Eventually the three begin to bond emotionally. This would have been a perfect example of a "nice, family movie" except for all the profanity spewed by the older sister. The younger sister is played by a young Scarlett Johansson... who I think was a better actress at 12 years old than she is right now. (Oh, I'm just being mean... she's not bad now either.) Mary Kay Place plays the kidnapped baby expert. Aleska Palladino (who?) plays the older sister. Pretty entertaining story... it just tends to get a bit implausible at times.
Not a bad movie... just kind of pointless after all is said and done. Two orphaned sisters (one of them pregnant) take the family car and go on the road, trying to keep from getting separated and put into foster homes. Not knowing what to do about the baby on the way, the two young girls kidnap a woman who works in a maternity goods store and hide out in a secluded cabin in the woods. Eventually the three begin to bond emotionally. This would have been a perfect example of a "nice, family movie" except for all the profanity spewed by the older sister. The younger sister is played by a young Scarlett Johansson... who I think was a better actress at 12 years old than she is right now. (Oh, I'm just being mean... she's not bad now either.) Mary Kay Place plays the kidnapped baby expert. Aleska Palladino (who?) plays the older sister. Pretty entertaining story... it just tends to get a bit implausible at times.
For further info please read other comments...
soulcharmer1 December 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I can hardly write something more about this gem considering the comments below. Without any spoiler given I only reveal to you that this movie is wonderfully well acted, plot is very appealing, kind, humorous and highly enjoyable. Really. Really really.
Go and see it. Now. 9/10
Go and see it. Now. 9/10
Obviously a feminist had a hand in this sophomoric product
sgpettine11 March 2015
This genre of film is a classic example of a theory on average taste: Take a turd covered in chocolate then rolled in nuts and feed to the general public who will give rave reviews to the curiously refreshing tidbit. Now, to fulfill the 10 line requirement, here' an amusing little ditty: There are smiles that make me happy. There are smiles that make me blue. There are smiles that steal away the teardrops, like the sunbeams steal away the dew. There are smiles that have a happy meaning, that the eyes of love alone may see. But the smiles that filly heart with sunshine, are the smiles that you give to me. Poo, poo, poopy do!
we like to urinate on lawns?
justinpierre6 February 2001
very agressive. very endearing. the story of two girls and a whole lot of trouble. these chicks rock. i find myself watching this film over and over again. fresh and unhiply hip. lock combinations and bathroom equations. fun. overall, this is extremely fun.
Lovely, focused drama - a real delight
casperfidelio21 May 2020
I had a hunch that I wanted to revisit this film. On my first watch, I found Manny & Lo to be a moody little film, that weightlessly flew over me. But I think I missed some of its heft, because this subdued drama has more teeth and claws than I remember. Little, fun details are littered throughout the film, a clear display of Krueger's creative vision. Some might criticize the movie for having little entertainment value, but I disagree - you might not be paying attention. Or you might actually not like it, of course.
The premise is uncommon and maybe even odd, but easy to grasp; sisters Amanda and Laurel, more commonly known as Manny & Lo, are in their teens and have run from ther respective foster homes. They live a life on the road, roaming New Jersey, passing the nights in parks, on lawns, in model homes or whatever is most suited and readily available, coming by by stealing from the grocery stores, the older sister, Laurel, performing certain favours for boys in exchange for money, and fueling their station wagon with the use of a hose and other cars; in short, they're little rascals. But Manny is the first to notice something that will be a bump in their careless demeanours, litterally: Lo is pregnant, and she's far beyond the option of abortion. So, what else to do than to break into a huge country mansion, abduct a poor woman who works at a baby shop and keep her hostage there?
The leading trio is just terrific. I think Scarlett Johansson, Aleksa Palladino and Mary Kay Place as Manny, Lo and Elaine (the latter being the abducted "nurse") have a tough job together to keep this character drama afloat. I believe they succeeded. The then eleven-year old Scarlett gets to do the voice-over, and the movie is always from her perspective. But from the first few moments of the movie, when you hear that voice-over musing about made-up people that turn out to be real, I was already checked in. Even back then she had her signature scrappy voice (albeit younger, and less voluminous), and it is used to its fullest extent. Watching her childish expressions is simply delightful. I think she does a finer acting job in this movie than her foul-mouthed counterpart Lo. However, Aleksa still manages to convince the upset with the world; her character is volatile and holds that sense of unpredictability well. Lo might be the older of the two, Manny is certainly a lot more rational. This is proven in many scenes between Manny and Elaine, played wonderfully by Mary Kay Place. She has a strange character to handle, but who is essentially the third wheel that gets them rolling. As Elaine explains, the character has a "cluttered" past, and without ever exactly knowing what that entails Place plays it so that we don't have to know and understand anyway that Elaine has had suffering.
It is all underlined by an amazing soundtrack, quite clearly one of the aspects that flew over unnoticed by me the first time around. Composed by John Lurie, who has provided music for multiple of Jim Jarmusch' features, it is often simple, laid-back, perfect for the accompanying moments, but it also broadens at points, using a wider range of instruments to create a more eclectic sound. I was impressed by how much I loved the soundtrack.
For a comedy, though, there are suprisingly little laughs, which is not necessarily a bad thing because genres should never dictate the contents of a movie alone. But if the dialogue had been more sharply written, it might have gotten more out of me. Still, I laughed a couple of times, and I can't even start to count how many smiles it gave me. Less laughs than there ought to be, and despite its short runtime it is not always aptly paced, but those are little complaints.
To sum it up, I am happily impressed by the love and care that has been put into it. There is lots to read into - morals, parenthood, childhood, it may even contain life lessons for those willing to get that out of it, but I think it works because it never forgets that its essence lays in the three characters and their dynamic together, which is well-done. Not perfect, but a lovely movie anyhow.
The premise is uncommon and maybe even odd, but easy to grasp; sisters Amanda and Laurel, more commonly known as Manny & Lo, are in their teens and have run from ther respective foster homes. They live a life on the road, roaming New Jersey, passing the nights in parks, on lawns, in model homes or whatever is most suited and readily available, coming by by stealing from the grocery stores, the older sister, Laurel, performing certain favours for boys in exchange for money, and fueling their station wagon with the use of a hose and other cars; in short, they're little rascals. But Manny is the first to notice something that will be a bump in their careless demeanours, litterally: Lo is pregnant, and she's far beyond the option of abortion. So, what else to do than to break into a huge country mansion, abduct a poor woman who works at a baby shop and keep her hostage there?
The leading trio is just terrific. I think Scarlett Johansson, Aleksa Palladino and Mary Kay Place as Manny, Lo and Elaine (the latter being the abducted "nurse") have a tough job together to keep this character drama afloat. I believe they succeeded. The then eleven-year old Scarlett gets to do the voice-over, and the movie is always from her perspective. But from the first few moments of the movie, when you hear that voice-over musing about made-up people that turn out to be real, I was already checked in. Even back then she had her signature scrappy voice (albeit younger, and less voluminous), and it is used to its fullest extent. Watching her childish expressions is simply delightful. I think she does a finer acting job in this movie than her foul-mouthed counterpart Lo. However, Aleksa still manages to convince the upset with the world; her character is volatile and holds that sense of unpredictability well. Lo might be the older of the two, Manny is certainly a lot more rational. This is proven in many scenes between Manny and Elaine, played wonderfully by Mary Kay Place. She has a strange character to handle, but who is essentially the third wheel that gets them rolling. As Elaine explains, the character has a "cluttered" past, and without ever exactly knowing what that entails Place plays it so that we don't have to know and understand anyway that Elaine has had suffering.
It is all underlined by an amazing soundtrack, quite clearly one of the aspects that flew over unnoticed by me the first time around. Composed by John Lurie, who has provided music for multiple of Jim Jarmusch' features, it is often simple, laid-back, perfect for the accompanying moments, but it also broadens at points, using a wider range of instruments to create a more eclectic sound. I was impressed by how much I loved the soundtrack.
For a comedy, though, there are suprisingly little laughs, which is not necessarily a bad thing because genres should never dictate the contents of a movie alone. But if the dialogue had been more sharply written, it might have gotten more out of me. Still, I laughed a couple of times, and I can't even start to count how many smiles it gave me. Less laughs than there ought to be, and despite its short runtime it is not always aptly paced, but those are little complaints.
To sum it up, I am happily impressed by the love and care that has been put into it. There is lots to read into - morals, parenthood, childhood, it may even contain life lessons for those willing to get that out of it, but I think it works because it never forgets that its essence lays in the three characters and their dynamic together, which is well-done. Not perfect, but a lovely movie anyhow.
Enjoyable Movie
DN463938 May 2021
I thought Manny and Lo was an enjoyable and fun movie. It quite had profanity in some scenes. So it is not a great recommendation for children. Probably, it could be for 14 and up. It is not surprising to see that movie draw some criticism from some men about not many male characters in this movie. Well... obviously, some movies are made for female audience while men have plenty million movies that are made for male audience. So it would be nice to see more predominately female movies. At least this movie was not man-bashing. It was all about two homeless sisters who were on a journey and seek a loving home or place to settle for the baby. Despite their wrongdoings or flaws, I still loved the special relationship between two sisters. They truly cared and protect each other. They willing to die for each other.
I never thought I genuinely enjoyed Scarlett johansson's 11 year old witty and clever character. Never knew she did do fantastic job as a child. I grew up watching her acting performance as a teenager and adult. I still love her acting especially in Marvel movies. Not just the storyline, I believe Manny or the sisters' bond was a main reason I kept watching the entire movie. It was interesting to see how they slowly built trust and relationship with Elaine throughout the movie. So I thought it was a superb movie.
To be frank, it is not fair for some predominately female movies to be dragged down for not having a lot of male actors but predominately male movies still hold high despite no or a few female characters. It appalled me when Sean Connery and his old Jame Bond movies displayed some misogyny and other male movies sexually objectified women receive high ratings while female movies usually address some taboo topics or have fun/silly storylines or create female superheroes that save the entire world without male bashings or unnecessary nudes have low ratings which it should be high rating anyway. But again, this is still a patriarchal world where some men only like some movies if it shows nude and submission of women in the movies while men stay "superior" or "dominant". Sad...
I never thought I genuinely enjoyed Scarlett johansson's 11 year old witty and clever character. Never knew she did do fantastic job as a child. I grew up watching her acting performance as a teenager and adult. I still love her acting especially in Marvel movies. Not just the storyline, I believe Manny or the sisters' bond was a main reason I kept watching the entire movie. It was interesting to see how they slowly built trust and relationship with Elaine throughout the movie. So I thought it was a superb movie.
To be frank, it is not fair for some predominately female movies to be dragged down for not having a lot of male actors but predominately male movies still hold high despite no or a few female characters. It appalled me when Sean Connery and his old Jame Bond movies displayed some misogyny and other male movies sexually objectified women receive high ratings while female movies usually address some taboo topics or have fun/silly storylines or create female superheroes that save the entire world without male bashings or unnecessary nudes have low ratings which it should be high rating anyway. But again, this is still a patriarchal world where some men only like some movies if it shows nude and submission of women in the movies while men stay "superior" or "dominant". Sad...
Once again overating an underrated gem
thedmoviebuff31 March 2021
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