Anyone who takes on Louisa May Alcott much loved tome is always going to be in for a tough task. A section of the viewing world will critically hammer them unless they get it 100% correct, to their personal vision of course, much like any Bronte adaptation, but you have to hand it to film-makers they do not shy away and every one of them approaches the topic hoping to give us a new angle or spin and stamp their vision on a much-revered story. So, a tough task. Therefore, I find it cheering to see a new generation of talented female directors in amongst those queuing up. In the case of Little Women, we have the much-lauded Greta Gerwig.
Gerwig skilfully treats us to a version that to non-lovers of the story or people who have no idea on the topic and period has a gloss coat of modern life painted on. So, we do get very sassy and ‘upfront’ females with very modern attitudes, more so than the book, and Laurie the main love interest, played by Timothée Chalamet, is seemingly dumped straight in from last week. But to my mind these anachronisms is not a weakness but a strength. It makes the story seem much more relatable and the characters likable and understandable to modern minds despite the setting. For younger audiences who perhaps would turn their noses up if the story were described to them, I believe this is a big hook.
The genius is then to get Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen to be the sisters. You cannot really fail. After this you adapt the story to fit how you want to tell it.
This does lead to some time-hopping jiggery-pokery but nothing too confusing although it is a divisive thing amongst film-viewers and I have seen more than a few heated discussions on this topic on Social Media and whether it is poor writing or not. I sit on the fence if it works then it is fine.
The travails and traverses of the March family are well told and each sister’s distinct personality is brought to life on the big screen. None more so than the talented Ronan who steals the show in the main role as Alcott’s surrogate Jo March who is feisty and iron-willed and uncompromising in how she is going to live her life, sometimes to her detriment. The whole story is efficiently told without a saggy moment or any lagging which can be a problem for films in a similar vein and setting at times.
For me, the biggest weakness in the film was Chalamet who was a bit too cool for school and too mumble-core modern for Laurie but a weakness in this film would be a strength in most other films. Nice to see Chris Cooper as the kindly neighbour Mr. Laurence and with Laura Dern as the matriarch of the family and Meryl Streep as the rich aunt and you are on a strong solid footing for performance and acting.
The costumes seem realistic to my untrained eye and the whole look of the film is ‘to the date’ – again only to my knowledge. Clearly there are anachronisms here and there but the film should not be looked at as a historical treatise but a comment on life, family and responsibility and the role of women in the late to mid-1800s. Each sister has a distinct believable personality that informs their decisions and choices but it is not a hagiography on women. They are shown as strong female characters with flaws and faults like us all – and flaws that cause them unnecessary problems. It could be so easy in the modern-day and climate to remove some of this character development or to make this seem cute or slight to get a ‘message’ across, some lesser directors might well be tempted. Gerwig is definitely ‘warts and all’ here.
The scenery and cinematography capture the period and is sumptuously a much a part of the story as the actors, particularly some beautiful vistas of Massachusetts in its autumnal glory.
Faults? Well as I said the film did not drag or lag at all but it has to be said as good as the actors are we did have four sisters in the same house with four different American accents that slipped back into English and Irish on more than one occasion and if Greta Gerwig said Timothée Chalamet’s Laurie was a time-traveller from the future then it would not surprise me.
Little Women is a good story, well told, well-acted and well presented. Surely that is all you need from a film?
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2020-11-27T09:57:57Z
Anyone who takes on Louisa May Alcott much loved tome is always going to be in for a tough task. A section of the viewing world will critically hammer them unless they get it 100% correct, to their personal vision of course, much like any Bronte adaptation, but you have to hand it to film-makers they do not shy away and every one of them approaches the topic hoping to give us a new angle or spin and stamp their vision on a much-revered story. So, a tough task. Therefore, I find it cheering to see a new generation of talented female directors in amongst those queuing up. In the case of Little Women, we have the much-lauded Greta Gerwig.
Gerwig skilfully treats us to a version that to non-lovers of the story or people who have no idea on the topic and period has a gloss coat of modern life painted on. So, we do get very sassy and ‘upfront’ females with very modern attitudes, more so than the book, and Laurie the main love interest, played by Timothée Chalamet, is seemingly dumped straight in from last week. But to my mind these anachronisms is not a weakness but a strength. It makes the story seem much more relatable and the characters likable and understandable to modern minds despite the setting. For younger audiences who perhaps would turn their noses up if the story were described to them, I believe this is a big hook.
The genius is then to get Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen to be the sisters. You cannot really fail. After this you adapt the story to fit how you want to tell it.
This does lead to some time-hopping jiggery-pokery but nothing too confusing although it is a divisive thing amongst film-viewers and I have seen more than a few heated discussions on this topic on Social Media and whether it is poor writing or not. I sit on the fence if it works then it is fine.
The travails and traverses of the March family are well told and each sister’s distinct personality is brought to life on the big screen. None more so than the talented Ronan who steals the show in the main role as Alcott’s surrogate Jo March who is feisty and iron-willed and uncompromising in how she is going to live her life, sometimes to her detriment. The whole story is efficiently told without a saggy moment or any lagging which can be a problem for films in a similar vein and setting at times.
For me, the biggest weakness in the film was Chalamet who was a bit too cool for school and too mumble-core modern for Laurie but a weakness in this film would be a strength in most other films. Nice to see Chris Cooper as the kindly neighbour Mr. Laurence and with Laura Dern as the matriarch of the family and Meryl Streep as the rich aunt and you are on a strong solid footing for performance and acting.
The costumes seem realistic to my untrained eye and the whole look of the film is ‘to the date’ – again only to my knowledge. Clearly there are anachronisms here and there but the film should not be looked at as a historical treatise but a comment on life, family and responsibility and the role of women in the late to mid-1800s. Each sister has a distinct believable personality that informs their decisions and choices but it is not a hagiography on women. They are shown as strong female characters with flaws and faults like us all – and flaws that cause them unnecessary problems. It could be so easy in the modern-day and climate to remove some of this character development or to make this seem cute or slight to get a ‘message’ across, some lesser directors might well be tempted. Gerwig is definitely ‘warts and all’ here.
The scenery and cinematography capture the period and is sumptuously a much a part of the story as the actors, particularly some beautiful vistas of Massachusetts in its autumnal glory.
Faults? Well as I said the film did not drag or lag at all but it has to be said as good as the actors are we did have four sisters in the same house with four different American accents that slipped back into English and Irish on more than one occasion and if Greta Gerwig said Timothée Chalamet’s Laurie was a time-traveller from the future then it would not surprise me.
Little Women is a good story, well told, well-acted and well presented. Surely that is all you need from a film?