Year of Release: 2019
Director: Greta Gerwig
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garrel, Eliza Scanlen, Jayne Houdyshell, Hadley Robinson, Dash Barber
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review:
Following the fantastic "Ladybird", which to this day remains as vital, mordantly funny film as I've ever seen, writer/director Greta Gerwig has returned, with a decidedly different film. "Little Women" is another adaptation of the novel by Louisa May Alcott (her novel in fact had two sequels), following the previous iterations from George Cukor (with Katherine Hepburn from 1933), Mervyn LeRoy (with June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor and Janet Leigh from 1949), Gillian Armstrong (with Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst and Christian Bale from 1994), and countless mini-series. The film once again follows the story of the March clan, during the American Civil War. The four sisters are led by the energetic and dream filled Jo, who wants to be a writer, while the eldest, Meg, wants to pursue her dreams of having a family. Amy on her hand wants to become a famous painter, where the sickly Beth has the gift of music. While their father is away battling the war, the household is barely scraping by under the tutelage of the sensible, generous and warm, Marmee. As the sisters age, their romantic adventures pull them in different paths, something that Beth's worsening health darkens and threatens. Jo returns from New York to help be a caregiver, and some of her earlier decisions have unexpected consequences in the family's dynamics.
"Little Women" is a film that demonstrates a well oiled production machine, at times failing to showcase a unique point of view under the heavy umbrella of the exquisite production design that the film has. It's a film that lives and breathes by the excellent cast that has been amassed, and once again Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet prove how good they are, and what incredible partnership they have. However this film has a particular standout in the presence of Florence Pugh, who truly builds an arch with Amy, going from infantile and self centered girl, to the throes of a young woman, demonstrating both a gravitas and a sense of self, deeply aware of women's condition in society, and how her dreams stack versus that reality, which is truly superb. The non-linear narrative also allows us to discover and get further insight on the family dynamics, even if some of the characters are very uni-dimensional (the wonderful Laura Dern, while fantastic has little to do with her character). It's a film that features great attention to detail, with a solid supporting cast, featuring Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper obviously fantastic, while Bob Odenkirk feels oddly miscast in his role of the family patriarch, and the always wonderful Tracy Letts doesn't get enough screen time. The cinematography from Yorick Le Saux is stunning, as is the score from Alexandre Desplat. A solid effort from a very interesting director.
"Little Women" is a film that demonstrates a well oiled production machine, at times failing to showcase a unique point of view under the heavy umbrella of the exquisite production design that the film has. It's a film that lives and breathes by the excellent cast that has been amassed, and once again Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet prove how good they are, and what incredible partnership they have. However this film has a particular standout in the presence of Florence Pugh, who truly builds an arch with Amy, going from infantile and self centered girl, to the throes of a young woman, demonstrating both a gravitas and a sense of self, deeply aware of women's condition in society, and how her dreams stack versus that reality, which is truly superb. The non-linear narrative also allows us to discover and get further insight on the family dynamics, even if some of the characters are very uni-dimensional (the wonderful Laura Dern, while fantastic has little to do with her character). It's a film that features great attention to detail, with a solid supporting cast, featuring Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper obviously fantastic, while Bob Odenkirk feels oddly miscast in his role of the family patriarch, and the always wonderful Tracy Letts doesn't get enough screen time. The cinematography from Yorick Le Saux is stunning, as is the score from Alexandre Desplat. A solid effort from a very interesting director.
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