Little Women (2019)

Community Rating

Director: Greta Gerwig

Writers: Greta Gerwig, Louisa May Alcott

Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh

Runtime: 2h 15m

MPAA: PG

Released: December 25, 2019

Adapted from the 1868 novel of the same name, Little Women follows four sisters living through the Civil War era in Massachusetts. Unique in temperament and talent, each must find their own way to balance personal desires against social expectations. What results is a story of growth which showcases the independent spirit of women regardless of time and place.

The base from which the film relies on is its four lead characters. Saoirse Ronan plays Jo, a fiercely independent writer working to make a name for herself. She notably vows to never marry or rely on anyone but herself. Emma Watson is Meg, a natural actor who is more content with the prospects of domestic life. Amy, played by Florence Pugh, is a practicing artist attempting to hone her craft in Paris. Finally, Eliza Scanlen is Beth, the sickly youngest sister with a caring heart.

These core actors must work well together for Little Women to function properly. Fortunately they do so exceedingly well. From delightful moments of play to angry fights of passion the sisters are quite believable as siblings. The narrative follows their ups and downs in such a way as to generally hold a keen interest for the audience.

One source of these emotional changes is their neighbor Laurie, who is acted excellently by Timothée Chalamet. His charm on screen is undeniable. He brings out a perfect level of mysterious lovability that makes him a romantic interest to some of the women at various points. There’s also Aunt March, played by Meryl Streep. With an affluent background, she’s a domineering influence over the four main characters.

It is Beth’s illness that reunites the sisters with their mother Marmee, played by Laura Dern. The story often jumps back and forth between the past and present. Unfortunately, this is where one of the few negatives of Little Women sometimes appears. There are moments where the time frame can be lost, generally at the beginning and end. The film generally does a good job of using color tones to clue the audience in on the time frame, but some cuts of a few seconds happen in rapid succession and can momentarily confuse things.

However, the shifting time frames generally work to show the larger narrative picture through snippets in time. The short pieces flow well together tonally and prevent the film from getting bogged down at any point in its runtime. This also means that early on it can take a few scenes to match character names to faces, but before long characters become familiar enough to keep track of.

A huge positive for the film is the production design and cinematography. The period set pieces of mid-nineteenth century New England are gorgeous, as are the costumes. Yorick Le Saux’s cinematography also shows off the beautiful estates and seasonal changes throughout the film. A few wide shots of the coast and countryside are particularly gorgeous.

Also lending to the film is a delightful soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat. The classically inspired pieces by the French composer make a perfect fit for Little Women. They add a tasteful whimsey to the movie in just the right amounts. A particularly fun dance scene between two characters is matched perfectly by the playful score.

Greta Gerwig has put together an excellent adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel. Little Women is filled with wonderful acting, great sets, and excellent cinematography. The resulting work is an emotionally resonate film that shows ambition for the things in life that matter most.

★★★★☆