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| Courtesy of Sony |
Little Women has been adapted for stage, radio, film and television countless times (including a quickie, low-budget version just last year that placed the story in a contemporary setting), so I can see why people unfamiliar with the book might wonder why we need yet another take. (Then again, since the widely known 1994 dramatization starring Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes and Susan Sarandon, four different actors have played Batman and there have been three Spider-Man reboots. Most people didn’t question that, so who knows?)
Although I can’t compare Gerwig’s version to the others (I’ve never seen them or read the book), my experience was revelatory, to say the least. For those unfamiliar with the plot or in need of a refresher, the story spans seven years in the lives of the March sisters – Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen) – as they grow from teenagers to young women in Civil War-era America. They struggle with poverty, illness, heartbreak and having ambition in a society that limits their choices to daughters, then wives and mothers.
Gerwig’s approach to the material is unique not in the way she deviates from the well-known plot (she mostly doesn’t), but in how she shuffles the chronology around and connects episodic moments through thematic parallels. For example, a scene where adult Jo, a teacher and aspiring writer, sells one of her stories to a gruff newspaper publisher (the outstanding Tracy Letts) is followed by a scene showing the teenage sisters staging a play that Jo wrote for them.
This structure is admittedly a little confusing at first, but Nick Houy’s editing and Yorick Le Saux’s beautiful cinematography eventually reveal subtle, important connections among characters that might have gone unnoticed otherwise. Alexandre Desplat’s moving score also helps stitch these different timelines together in resonant ways. Furthermore, Gerwig’s writing also makes the story feel modern without resorting to overtly anachronistic language or behavior. It's a challenging tightrope to walk, but all her choices feel like the right ones.
Of course, any adaptation of Little Women rises and falls on the cast, and that’s where Gerwig’s experience as an actress strengthens her roles as screenwriter and director. She enlisted a ridiculous number of gifted performers for this project and they all deliver.
The creative relationship Gerwig established with Ronan on Lady Bird continues here. The esteemed actress’ performance would be a revelation if she wasn’t always this great. Honestly, I’m a little concerned that audiences are taking her for granted because she always makes such difficult work feel effortless. The fiercely protective and headstrong Jo, forced by her circumstances to grow up too fast, is already mature as a teenager, yet Ronan communicates her ongoing growth over seven years in subtle ways. I’m rooting for her to get a Best Actress nomination.
Strangely enough, Pugh is the film’s other clear standout because of how dramatically she depicts Amy’s transformation from bratty little sister to a confident aspiring artist in her own right. From what I’ve heard, her subplot in the “grown-up” section of Alcott’s novel is a jarring and controversial choice for Little Women fans; but Pugh’s performance, aided by Gerwig’s decision to fracture the narrative timeline, makes Amy’s journey more understandable.
It can’t be easy for an actress to play the same character from ages 13 to 20, but the 23-year-old Pugh absolutely nails it. Although she first garnered acclaim for 2016’s Lady Macbeth, she truly broke through this year with three wildly different performances that showcase her range in stunning fashion. In addition to her brilliant work in Little Women, she was also terrific as an aspiring pro wrestler in Fighting with My Family and a grieving woman in a toxic relationship who becomes ensnared in a pagan cult in the bleak-yet-beautiful Midsommar.
This is such a competitive awards season that Pugh could theoretically compete against her co-star Ronan in Best Actress (Midsommar vs. Little Women), while also competing in Best Supporting Actress (for playing Amy) against her co-star Laura Dern (who could be nominated twice in that category since she’s brilliant as both the March matriarch and as a cutthroat lawyer in Marriage Story). It probably won’t play out that way, but the fact that it’s technically plausible speaks to the immense talent of these women.
Watson and Scanlen are also good, and the same goes for Meryl Streep as the March sisters’ cranky, traditionalist aunt, but their characters get the least to do in this version. When it comes to the guys, in addition to Letts’ great work, Timothee Chalamet is charming as Laurie, Jo’s friend and potential suitor, while Chris Cooper turns a small part as the Marches’ neighbor into one of the film’s most poignant characters.
Little Women has done respectable business since opening on Christmas Day, earning nearly $40 million worldwide in its first week of release. That puts it on track to be a solid hit as it plays through the doldrums of January and February. For those dismissing it as just another remake or – even worse – a “girl movie” that you can’t relate to, I strongly urge you to give it a chance.
I went from being a guy who had no previous connection to the material to someone who has seen it multiple times and won’t shut up about how great it is. I’m basically one step away from going door-to-door and asking people if they’ve heard the good news about Little Women. Gerwig’s adaptation is that affecting.
Little Women is rated PG for thematic elements and brief smoking.
Grade: A+
Gerwig’s approach to the material is unique not in the way she deviates from the well-known plot (she mostly doesn’t), but in how she shuffles the chronology around and connects episodic moments through thematic parallels. For example, a scene where adult Jo, a teacher and aspiring writer, sells one of her stories to a gruff newspaper publisher (the outstanding Tracy Letts) is followed by a scene showing the teenage sisters staging a play that Jo wrote for them.
This structure is admittedly a little confusing at first, but Nick Houy’s editing and Yorick Le Saux’s beautiful cinematography eventually reveal subtle, important connections among characters that might have gone unnoticed otherwise. Alexandre Desplat’s moving score also helps stitch these different timelines together in resonant ways. Furthermore, Gerwig’s writing also makes the story feel modern without resorting to overtly anachronistic language or behavior. It's a challenging tightrope to walk, but all her choices feel like the right ones.
Of course, any adaptation of Little Women rises and falls on the cast, and that’s where Gerwig’s experience as an actress strengthens her roles as screenwriter and director. She enlisted a ridiculous number of gifted performers for this project and they all deliver.
The creative relationship Gerwig established with Ronan on Lady Bird continues here. The esteemed actress’ performance would be a revelation if she wasn’t always this great. Honestly, I’m a little concerned that audiences are taking her for granted because she always makes such difficult work feel effortless. The fiercely protective and headstrong Jo, forced by her circumstances to grow up too fast, is already mature as a teenager, yet Ronan communicates her ongoing growth over seven years in subtle ways. I’m rooting for her to get a Best Actress nomination.
Strangely enough, Pugh is the film’s other clear standout because of how dramatically she depicts Amy’s transformation from bratty little sister to a confident aspiring artist in her own right. From what I’ve heard, her subplot in the “grown-up” section of Alcott’s novel is a jarring and controversial choice for Little Women fans; but Pugh’s performance, aided by Gerwig’s decision to fracture the narrative timeline, makes Amy’s journey more understandable.
It can’t be easy for an actress to play the same character from ages 13 to 20, but the 23-year-old Pugh absolutely nails it. Although she first garnered acclaim for 2016’s Lady Macbeth, she truly broke through this year with three wildly different performances that showcase her range in stunning fashion. In addition to her brilliant work in Little Women, she was also terrific as an aspiring pro wrestler in Fighting with My Family and a grieving woman in a toxic relationship who becomes ensnared in a pagan cult in the bleak-yet-beautiful Midsommar.
This is such a competitive awards season that Pugh could theoretically compete against her co-star Ronan in Best Actress (Midsommar vs. Little Women), while also competing in Best Supporting Actress (for playing Amy) against her co-star Laura Dern (who could be nominated twice in that category since she’s brilliant as both the March matriarch and as a cutthroat lawyer in Marriage Story). It probably won’t play out that way, but the fact that it’s technically plausible speaks to the immense talent of these women.
Watson and Scanlen are also good, and the same goes for Meryl Streep as the March sisters’ cranky, traditionalist aunt, but their characters get the least to do in this version. When it comes to the guys, in addition to Letts’ great work, Timothee Chalamet is charming as Laurie, Jo’s friend and potential suitor, while Chris Cooper turns a small part as the Marches’ neighbor into one of the film’s most poignant characters.
Little Women has done respectable business since opening on Christmas Day, earning nearly $40 million worldwide in its first week of release. That puts it on track to be a solid hit as it plays through the doldrums of January and February. For those dismissing it as just another remake or – even worse – a “girl movie” that you can’t relate to, I strongly urge you to give it a chance.
I went from being a guy who had no previous connection to the material to someone who has seen it multiple times and won’t shut up about how great it is. I’m basically one step away from going door-to-door and asking people if they’ve heard the good news about Little Women. Gerwig’s adaptation is that affecting.
Little Women is rated PG for thematic elements and brief smoking.
Grade: A+
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