Manny & Lo

Any film that gives significant screen time to unjustly neglected actress Mary Kay Place deserves credit, as does any American independent film not packed with 70's pop culture references. Developed at the Sundance Filmmakers Lab, this auspicious debut by Lisa Krueger stars Scarlett Johansson and Aleksa Palladino as 11-year-old Amanda and 16-year-old Laurel, recently orphaned sisters who take to the road to escape foster care. Luckily, as "Manny" notes, "Lo," an aspiring stewardess, has a natural gift for turbulence. When she becomes pregnant, they kidnap a baby store clerk (Place) and compel her to set up housekeeping with them. An off-center pleasure. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD Review--Jan. 26, 2004--Columbia TriStar, 88 min., not rated, $24.95--Making its debut on DVD, the 1996 film Manny & Lo sports an unexceptional widescreen transfer (with a fair amount of soft spots and some digital artifacts), and no extras beyond three unrelated trailers. Bottom line: although essentially extra-less and barely average in technical quality, this solid little film is still well worth adding, especially given Scarlett Johansson's recent kudos for Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring.]