Little Women (2019)

By: Mike Ward on Saturday, January 04

PG Running Time: 135 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

Greta Gerwig’s take on the classic Louisa May Alcott is one of 2019’s most anticipated films.
A stellar cast and a novel, clever way of marrying current themes with Alcott’s explorations in her book, makes this one of 2019’s most rewarding films.
I think it is more than fair to say that we didn’t know we needed yet another Little Women adaptation, but this is precisely something we needed to close out the decade.

NO

Mistakenly, you insist that Little Women is little more than Lifetime/Hallmark Channel fare and it is made only for an audience of females.
If you are not a fan of Gerwig, either as an actor, writer, or as director of 2017’s Lady Bird, this iteration of Little Women may not be your proverbial cup of tea.
Some have expressed frustration with the editing decisions made by Gerwig. I strongly encourage everyone to see the film, but the non-linear approach to the story may send some Alcott/Little Women purists up in arms.

OUR REVIEW

A novel that has survived generations, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women gets a rebirth of sorts in Greta Gerwig’s wonderful and sublime take on the classic story of the ups and downs of the March family in Civil War-era Massachusetts. With some restructuring that viewers may find initially alarming, and a clever encumbering of themes from the past brought forward to the present, Gerwig has delivered one of 2019’s best films.

Saoirse Ronan stars as Jo, the second oldest of four daughters, and a budding writer and novelist. Emma Watson plays Meg, the oldest daughter, married and with a young family of her own. Florence Pugh portrays Amy, lives abroad with her Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep), while youngest daughter Beth (Eliza Scanlen), is trying to recover from a debilitating bout with scarlet fever.

Many will know the story of Little Women, but Gerwig’s adaptation works in a non-linear fashion, blending a seven-year story of growth, maturation, and coming of age for its subject sisterhood. By readjusting the timeline, Gerwig seems to be trying to make scenes from the past blend together as memories that inform and guide the present day decisions being made by all involved.

Certainly this is true for Jo, whose attempt at romance with Laurie (Timothée Chalamet) falls short of passion, but steers towards a greater sense of knowing who she is and what she wants for her life.

We learn of the fractures which permeate among the sisters and why, for example, Meg is ready to settle down with a family of her own. We discover the reasons why Beth focuses intently on playing piano, and the exploits of Amy as a teenager, leading up to, and moving through into adulthood, with Aunt Josephine as her guardian.

Allowing Little Women to wash over you and fall into the rhythm Gerwig sets for her audience is part of the joy in rediscovering this classic story all over again. The movie seldom slows down, matching Jo’s urgency in pushing onward with her life. Gerwig’s brisk pace allows us to get swept up in the emotions of the piece in new and different ways.

And this is the film’s only real test for its audience: The editing back-and-forth through time takes a minute to get used to, using cues of color, costumes, hair, makeup, and sets to allow people to understand where things exist in time. For better or worse, Gerwig trusts her audience can follow along and keep up. Some may fall behind, but Gerwig simply believes viewers can understand her approach and stays true to her vision throughout.

The remaining cast is superb, with Laura Dern as Marmee (the March family’s matriarch), Bob Odenkirk as Mr. March (away at war), and Tracy Letts as Mr. Dashwood, Jo’s publisher. Louis Garrel also has some nice moments as Fredrich Bhaer, a professor who visits the March family on his way through to the West Coast.

Nick Houy’s precise and focused editing matches Gerwig’s enthusiasm and vision of how to present this story in a way that accentuates the notion that life is fluid and more a journey, than a series of episodic moments. Alexandre Desplat’s emotional score matches Yorick Le Saux’s gorgeous cinematography, a marriage made to near perfection.

One scene, with Jo laying out the pages of a novel, page by page, illuminated only by candlelight, is one of 2019’s most beautiful sequences.

Little Women is a timeless tale, but through Gerwig’s pen, paper, and distinctive vision, she finds a way to bring themes of modern-day equality from the present into the past. Adding a precocious nod-and-wink scene between Jo and Mr. Dashwood near the end, she offers a conclusion that is unapologetic, open to interpretation, and still preserves the beauty of Alcott’s classic work.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Cooper, Louis Garrel, James Norton, Meryl Streep.

Director: Greta Gerwig
Written by: Greta Gerwig
Adapted from the novel, “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
Release Date: December 25, 2019
Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Releasing

Greta Gerwig’s take on the classic Louisa May Alcott is one of 2019’s most anticipated films.

A stellar cast and a novel, clever way of marrying current themes with Alcott’s explorations in her book, makes this one of 2019’s most rewarding films.

I think it is more than fair to say that we didn’t know we needed yet another Little Women adaptation, but this is precisely something we needed to close out the decade.

Mistakenly, you insist that Little Women is little more than Lifetime/Hallmark Channel fare and it is made only for an audience of females.

If you are not a fan of Gerwig, either as an actor, writer, or as director of 2017’s Lady Bird, this iteration of Little Women may not be your proverbial cup of tea.

Some have expressed frustration with the editing decisions made by Gerwig. I strongly encourage everyone to see the film, but the non-linear approach to the story may send some Alcott/Little Women purists up in arms.