Little Women

Little Women

Starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen

Directed by Greta Gerwig

Back in 1869, author Louisa May Alcott wrote one of the most shockingly influential pieces of fiction in history, Little Women.  The book - centering on the ordinary lives of four sisters living in a lower-middle-class Massachusetts town during the Civil War - was beyond its time in its exploration of female empowerment as well as the importance of getting married and finding love when it's real and not because women had to get married due to the social norms.  Since the novel's release, it's been adapted countless times on the stage and small screen, and six times on the big screen - first in 1917 (and now considered lost), 1918 (a silent film shot near Alcott's real-life home), 1933 (featuring Katherine Hepburn as Jo, and Joan Bennet who was 23 and pregnant at the time when she played 12-year-old Amy), 1949 (featuring a 31-year-old pregnant June Allyson playing 15-year-old Jo), 1994 (first to be directed by a woman, and received three Academy Award nominations with brilliant performances by Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes and Susan Sarandon), and now 2019.  While the 1994 version has become the most beloved and acclaimed, I think that the 2019 will go down as the best iteration of Alcott's classic, and will be extremely difficult to top.

Focused on the four March sisters - rebellious Jo (Saoirse Ronan), domesticated Meg (Emma Watson), artistic Amy (Florence Pugh), and musician Beth (Eliza Scanlen), "Little Women" tells their stories as they form an almost unbreakable bond as children but find themselves separating as adults, each one traveling a different path that leads to different destinations.  Jo is the most against change, as she literally begs Meg on her wedding day to not get married and run away with her, melancholy over their childhood ending.  The girls aren't rich, as they live with their mother Marmee (Laura Dern) while their father is away at war, but they never seem to be bothered by their lack of fortune, especially living next door to the wealthy Laurence family, including young upstart Laurie (Timothee Chalamet), who takes a liking to Jo.

The story is so well-known that you'd probably expect it to follow the same format as the others, but Greta Gerwig throws that out the window and instead tells the story through a shared timeline, moving from the present to the past in small, bite-sized pieces that allows us to become fully immersed in the characters and story in ways we haven't been able to before.  Gerwig also changes up the ending a bit that would make Alcott proud, since she had to alter her ending since it was still more of a man's world than it is now, allowing Jo a deeper role than she had before.  By no means is the film boring, as you're captivated from the first moment to the last, sending you on a roller coaster ride of emotions - from laughter to tears, from hope to despair, the film runs the gambit and takes you along for the ride.
 
The cast is as stellar as everything else associated with the project, featuring three of today's most talented, powerful performers, one relative newcomer who has a bright future, an indy darling whose charisma is unparalleled, and two seasoned female vets who completely own the screen.  Saoirse Ronan (who worked with Gerwig in "Lady Bird" and earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal) is this generation's Meryl Streep (who is one of the aforementioned female vets who plays the smug, snooty, wealthy Aunt March with gleeful delight), and once again proves it here as Jo, giving her a more intimate portrayal than ever before, while also maintaining her strong sense of individuality.  Emma Watson is brilliant as the sensible, family-oriented Meg who struggles with marrying within her lower-middle-class stature while desiring the better things in life.  Florence Pugh has had the best year of her life in powerful films like "Fighting With My Family" and "Midsommar," and finishes out the year giving Ronan a run for her money as the artistic, driven Amy.  Australian newcomer Eliza Scanlen rounds out the March sisters as the quiet, musically talented Beth, while Laura Dern shines as their mother, who blends maternal instincts with her own fears and anger.   Timothee Chalamet rounds out the stellar cast as Laurie, a wild grandson of a wealthy man who spends all his time with Jo as they're both kindred spirits in their unruly nature, but also showcases extreme depth of emotions as well.
Greta Gerwig has already established herself as one of modern cinema's most talented female directors with her Oscar-nominated film "Lady Bird," and again she offers her unique insight and dedication to the project here.  There's not a moment wasted, but each second is intrinsically designed to develop the characters in unique and fresh ways that's true to the source material but also current to the world's situation today.  She shoots the film in a shuffled timeline that's not confusing, since all the events happening in the "here and now" are shot in general style with comforted hues of monotone color, while the past events are in bright, vibrant colors (visually portraying the old saying, "looking through rose-colored glasses").  The cinematography by Yorick LeSaux is downright enthralling, mixed with the brilliant costume designs and intricate set pieces that transports you back to the time, coupled with the excellent musical score envelops the entire project in a rich tapestry that allows the actors to fully immerse themselves in the project.

The entire film can be summed up in Jo's heartfelt speech (which will be the reel played during the Oscars when she gets her next Best Actress nomination, mark my words): "Women have minds and they have souls as well as just hearts; and they've got ambition and they've got talent as well as just beauty.  I'm so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for."  Each of these words can be used to describe a different March woman: Jo has a mind that's intrinsically intelligent and independent.  Meg has a soul that yearns for motherhood and doing good for others.  Amy has ambition as is evident by her powerful statement, "I want to be great, or nothing."  Beth has talent for piano playing.  Each sister represents something in Jo's speech, and it's a perfect encapsulation of the film.


Taking a risk in bringing to the big screen a novel that's been shown time and again, Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" sets itself apart from its counterparts with an awards-worthy cast, smart, witty script, and excellent set designs and storytelling structure.

The Score: A+