BY LAUREN PAULSON
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
**Warning: this review contains spoilers!**
With a hurried and anticipatory air, Jo March hurries out of an apartment and off to the Weekly Volcano Press, a different and surprising beginning to the seventh movie with the same title, Little Women. Instead of being greeted by the smiling faces of all the March sisters on Christmas morning as many audience members expected, the new film defies the idea of chronological timing and instead begins toward the end of the story. In a portrayal different than all of the previous movie adaptations of Little Women, this new film jumps around to different times and years in almost every scene to keep the story engaging and help audiences connect the interplay of parts of the story throughout time.
Debuting in the United States on December 25th (Christmas Day), 2019, the new Little Women movie is yet another retelling of the classic book written by Louisa May Alcott, a full twenty-five years after the last (1994) version was released. Many famous actors and actresses star in this film adaptation written and directed by Greta Gerwig, which was nominated six times at the Academy Awards and has impressively high reviews on top sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. The adventurous and endearing March sisters were played by Saoirse Ronan (Jo), Emma Watson (Meg), Eliza Scanlen (Beth), and Florence Pugh (Amy); other well-known faces in the film include Laura Dern (Marmee) and Meryl Streep (Aunt March).
Although it did not break any box-office records or make a stellar amount of gross income, Little Women has had an overwhelmingly positive response, and for good reason. The movie is a unique take on a classic story that is memorable and moving. As previously mentioned, the film begins towards the end of the story before flashing forward to the original beginning scene; throughout the rest of the movie flashbacks and forward jumps in time keep the pace fast and enticing. For newer audience members who have not watched earlier versions of the movie or read Little Women, this type of plotline might be confusing, but for long-time fans of the classic novel, the added twist keeps the story fresh and exciting.
With a slightly longer run time and different emphases, the new movie focuses on the main characters (the four March sisters and Laurie) and is able to develop their characters in a much more in-depth way than previous films have done. There is also more emphasis on the adult lives of each of the sisters, even after Jo moves away; in addition to the main focus on Jo, there is a deeper look into the lives of Meg, Beth, and Amy. In a scene not found in the book, Meg’s marriage to and life with John Brooke is focused on. Viewers get a closer look at Meg and her humanness: how she loves her husband and two children but is tired of being poor and being pitied by neighbors and “friends.”
Beth’s story is such a heartbreaking one, and I felt the movie did her justice by growing her character and giving the audience a window into her strong relationship with Jo. Although she has a very timid and shy personality, the new movie successfully establishes and advances her character into one of courage and selflessness. In fact, Beth cares so much about the Marches’ poor neighbors that she goes without her sisters to help with their sick children. It is this selfless act that leads to her sickness and eventual death, making it all the more tragic. I cried three times while watching the movie because of the poignant way Beth’s death and the family’s reaction to it is portrayed. The film was effective in provoking the audience to deeper questions about life, grief, and love.
Amy is usually disliked by readers and viewers because of her childish and selfish ways, but I thought the new movie did a wonderful job of showing her as a grown and mature woman who is able to think for herself and care about others. Audiences are able to see a little more of the rivalry between Jo and Amy, which leads to Amy’s real, human feelings of jealousy and unworthiness. The scene where Amy tells Laurie that she won’t marry him because she’s tired of being second-place to Jo is one of my favorites because it portrays how Amy has felt living in her sister’s shadow for so long. These scenes and others give viewers more of a look at the lives of all the March sisters, which I believe is a great addition to the story.
Besides the possible confusion from the way the movie jumps around, the only complaint I had was the age of the actress who played Amy. I thought there should have been a younger actress to play Amy as a young girl because she is supposed to be the youngest March sister, but she looks older than all the other actresses. Florence Pugh is a very talented actress who did a great job playing the character, but it was hard to imagine her as young because of how much she looks like an adult. This minor issue did not detract much from the movie as a whole, however. Overall, the film was entertaining, emotional, and deep, and I would recommend it to any audience. In my opinion, Little Women was a cinematic success.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Women_(2019_film)#Release
Image source:
https://tomandlorenzo.com/2019/10/little-women-character-posters-revealed-movie-preview-posters/