These Little Women....Wow! Although "Little Women" is another re-make, Gerwig's modern rendition of the 1800's Classic brings a new life to the film and explores the character's stories with new intricate detail. It is a beautiful, colorful and wonderful film that has you re-examining the original themes of what it means to be a woman in society and exhibits the unconditional love of sisterhood with a fresh new out-look.
"Little Women" was released on Christmas Day and is Greta Gerwig's second feature film. Coming out 2 years after her debut with Lady Bird (2017), it does not disappoint. Gerwig takes a specific approach to each of her movies, moving quickly through each of the stories without telling the audience exactly how to feel, but encourages them look back and dwell on the emotions they felt during each of the specific scenes.
Told from a new perspective, Gerwig's rendition focuses on the lives of the March Sisters told through a variety of flashbacks, flipping back and forth from present day to days of past - it can be a little confusing for someone that is unfamiliar with the characters either through the Book or the 1994 Movie, but it wonderfully weaves through the sister's lives together, exploring their memories, keeping you up to speed.
Unlike the 1994 Movie, Gerwig's "Little Women" starts off in the present day lives of the March Sisters where you find Jo teaching at a Boarding School in New York, Amy studying art in Paris and Meg raising her family close to their original home in Concord, Massachusetts. The beginning is my least favorite part of the movie, although it is setting the stage for each of the March sisters, it shows their lives separately which to be honest, isn't why you bought the ticket in the first place. With Jo as the main character, she is assumed to be Louisa May Alcott herself, the author of Little Women, you see the world most specifically through her eyes as she struggles with the notion of growing up and getting older as she becomes a woman.
While the original story was told in the late 1800s, the messages and themes are still just as relevant today as they were back then. One of my favorite scenes happens before Meg's Wedding Day when Jo mentions that end of their childhood as each of the sister's move on into different chapters of their lives. It is laced with sentiment that can be felt in our own lives as we grow older and move on from our childhood memories and happiness.
Without spoiling the major plot details, the characters can be understood as the following in order of age: Meg (Emma Watson) is the eldest March sibling and is the most concerned with marriage and starting a family. Meg and Beth are more of the subsidiary characters to Jo and Amy who are more of the main characters in the story. Emma Stone was original cast to play Meg, but dropped out before filming started in Spring 2018 due to scheduling conflicts. Emma Watson is....fine? TBH not the best actress there has ever been and seems to be still riding on her Harry Potter fame which wrapped up almost 10 years ago, it's time to move on. She was noticeably missing from the Press Circuit with the Little Women Cast, only showing up for the Premier. SMH.
Jo (Saoirse Ronan) is the eldest march sister. The majority of the story is told from her perspective as she grows up and realizes that her opposition to society's expectations of what it is to be a women have separated her from her friends and family. Ronan first worked with Gerwig on Lady Bird in 2017. During their filming, she found out Gerwig was in talks to adapt "Little Women" and told Gerwig she wanted in and wanted to play Jo. This is also how Gerwig ended up casting Timothee Chalamet opposite Jo as Laurie - Ronan and Chalamet were both in Lady Bird and are going to be in a variety of movies together in the next few years.
Beth (Eliza Scanlen) is the second youngest March sister - she is quiet and thoughtful and is probably the most over-looked March Sister. No spoilers here. Eliza Scanlen was first recognized for her role in HBO's Sharp Objects (2018) and is playing a polar opposite character (Look up Sharp Objects if you want nightmares), so her sweet demeanor in "Little Women" was a breath of fresh air and shows the range of the young actress, we will probably see more from her in the next few years.
Finally, we have Amy (Florence Pugh). If you are familiar with the book or the 1990s movie, you know how Amy has been depicted: selfish, un-kind and arrogant. While she may be all of these things, Gerwig takes the time to show more of Amy in her adapation, going deeper into her motives and why she serves as almost a direct foil to her sister, Jo. Pugh has had a break-out year. In 2019 she starred in 3 successful films: Fighting with my Family, Midsommar and Little Women. In 2020, she will be in the Marvel Universe in "Black Widow" as Natasha Romanoff's sister. I think Amy gets redemption in this version, but I still despise her.
So What Worked and What Didn't?
What Worked:
1.The Modern Re-Telling of Little Women Told Through Flashbacks: It may take a bit to understand how the stories fit together if you are un-familiar with the original book, but the re-telling gives you perspective into each of the sister's present lives and how they are different or shaped by the choices of their childhood. Too often re-makes take the original story and re-create it almost verbatim or change it so much that it is un-recognizable. Gerwig takes the story, that she loves dearly, and creates a fresh perspective on the beloved characters without creating redundancy.
2. The Characters: You cry with Jo, you spat at Amy, you loved with Meg and you felt with Beth. Each of the characters, although created in the 1800s, can still be identified in our current culture and still evoke emotions in ourselves. The sisterhood between each of the March girls is felt through each silly fight, heart to heart conversation, play performed, and dinner shared. It is extremely relatable for siblings and families alike.
SPOILERS
3. Amy's Redemption: Ok, TBH I dislike Amy - she burns Jo's manuscript, she "steals" her man and just overall acts selfishly throughout, but Gerwig provides key insights in the movie to explain to the audiences why Amy is the way she is. This is perhaps the best depiction of Amy that we have seen throughout the years. It's honest and shows human beings as they are and what motivations and desires have led them to their path.
What Didn't Work:
1. The Age of the Character's: Little Women starts with the characters as children with their ages ranging from 9 - 14. The actresses who played the characters age ranges from 20 - 29 years old. At the beginning of the movie. Amy is supposed to be 9 and is being played by a 23-year old, this makes some of the interactions and arguments seem off especially when you see a grown women pretend to act younger and throw a temper-tantrum. it just doesn't work. I am happy that they kept the characters the same throughout, I don't think it would have worked either if we had a younger cast and an older cast, but they could have re-touched some of the arguments to make them seem more in-line.
2. Jo and Laurie: Not that they didn't work, they worked beautifully together and in everything they do. I just wanted to see more of their relationship. We see them in the movie very frequently, but they are rarely alone with each other. Instead they are interacting with each other in the midst of the rest of the cast. I feel like there was a lot more potential to explore their relationship with each other without the other elements of the story getting in the way.
The Race:
Major snubs for "Little Women" so far in the awards race. After being snubbed by the Golden Globes and SAG Awards for best picture, director and ccreenplay. "Little Women" has only really been recognized in the best actress race with Saoirse Ronan. These nominations might shut out "Little Women" from the Oscar race, but new buzz and conversation could keep the film relevant in time for Academy voters to notice. FINGERS CROSSED!
Overall the movie was lovely and beautiful and exactly what I was hoping for. Greta Gerwig proves once again that she is a master story-teller and I can't wait to see what she does next!
EL DE Rating: 9/10
And that's the sitch.
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