2019 | Dir. Greta Gerwig | 135 Minutes
"Life is too short to be angry at one's sisters."
In mid-nineteenth Massachusetts, the March sisters learn to
love and grow together and on their own as the years bring unique
opportunities and challenges to each of them.
Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's literary
classic is a beautifully crafted work of art. The film is an aesthetic treat, featuring beautiful production design, gorgeous costumes, and appealing sets shot on location in Massachusetts. Utilizing a non-linear story
structure, the film accentuates the story's emotional beats in an engaging and
remarkably creative way while subtly accentuating the novel's timeliness themes. It's an extraordinarily pleasant picture and yet it's never dull thanks to Gerwig's talent for presenting characters with genuine quirks, powerful motivations, and engaging interpersonal dynamics. Despite each harboring different artistic passions, the March sisters lead vastly different lives, and the film authentically and organically presents their respective struggles as they either shrink from, conform to, or rebel against the expectations of society.
Struggling writer Jo and aspiring painter Amy share the spotlight equally, fully illustrating the varying challenges faced by the two sisters. Clever Jo, with her unyielding determination and her vocal frustration with the limitations society imposes upon women, is a natural protagonist to follow. Her platonic friendship with Laurie and her reluctance to accept Friedrich Bhaer as a romantic prospect is presented ambiguously enough in this adaptation for contemporary audiences to plausibly view Jo as a strong queer character. More impressively, the picture does a brilliant job of making Amy a completely sympathetic character, exploring the motivations behind her occasional petulance, emphasizing the difficulty of being the youngest child. The picture also depicts Meg's courtship and marriage to John Brooke with a light touch, illustrating her low-key frustration with poverty as she learns to value love over luxury. However, perhaps fittingly, poor Beth's tragic story is relatively brief in this adaptation.
Struggling writer Jo and aspiring painter Amy share the spotlight equally, fully illustrating the varying challenges faced by the two sisters. Clever Jo, with her unyielding determination and her vocal frustration with the limitations society imposes upon women, is a natural protagonist to follow. Her platonic friendship with Laurie and her reluctance to accept Friedrich Bhaer as a romantic prospect is presented ambiguously enough in this adaptation for contemporary audiences to plausibly view Jo as a strong queer character. More impressively, the picture does a brilliant job of making Amy a completely sympathetic character, exploring the motivations behind her occasional petulance, emphasizing the difficulty of being the youngest child. The picture also depicts Meg's courtship and marriage to John Brooke with a light touch, illustrating her low-key frustration with poverty as she learns to value love over luxury. However, perhaps fittingly, poor Beth's tragic story is relatively brief in this adaptation.
The ensemble cast of Little Women is wonderful through and
through. The perfect chemistry shared among the principal cast truly warms the heart. Saoirse
Ronan was born to play the headstrong wildly intelligent Jo while Florence Pugh
brings a wealth of depth to the sensitive Amy. Ronan and Pugh's respective passionate performances really make this adaptation special, particularly Pugh's Amy. Emma Watson is a natural fit for eldest
sister Meg, displaying a tangible weary maturity in comparison to her co-stars. Though her role is brief, Eliza Scanlen
is simply heartbreaking as shy pianist Beth. Timothée Chalamet is brilliant as
always in the role of the lovelorn Laurie, Laura Dern is enchanting as the
even-tempered Marmee, Meryl Streep is absolutely entertaining as cynical Aunt
March, Chris Cooper is charming as the kindly Mr. Laurence, Louis Garrel is a convincing heartthrob as Friedrich Bhaer, and Tracy Letts is appropriately
insufferable as the shrewd editor Mr. Dashwood.
Greta Gerwig's Little Women is a lovely, soulful, and genuinely heartwarming picture, delivering the novel's timeless themes of family, romance, and pursuing one's dreams with earnestness, humor, and grace. While it's debatable whether or not this latest adaptation is the definitive film version of Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel, it's indisputably a bonafide cinematic masterpiece.
FRAGMENTS
- Laura Dern also appears in 2020 Best Picture Nominee
Marriage Story
- Tracey Letts also appears in 2020 Best Picture Nominee
Ford v Ferrari
- It was a genuine wonderful surprise for me to see
Bob Odenkirk as Father March
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova in Black Widow)
