Little

Little

Starring Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Justin Hartley

Directed by Tina Gordon

Body-swapping and age-swapping films have existed for awhile, with titles like "17 Again," "13 Going on 30," "Like Father Like Son," and several versions of "Freaky Friday" immediately come to mind, but none compare to the granddaddy of age-swapping films, Tom Hanks' "Big."  Young "Black-ish" star Marsai Martin saw the film and wondered what it would be like to have this happen to someone of a different gender and race, and set out to pitch her idea for her film "Little."  The film got green-lit, and Martin became the youngest Executive Producer ever in Hollywood - a very extravagant feat even if her product is rather cookie-cutter, predictable, and rather devoid of any true humor.

In this version, Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall) is a no-holds-barred mean boss of a successful software company, who became this woman because she was picked on and ridiculed in middle school, and whose parents taught her when she grows up she won't have to deal with the humiliation because she'll be the boss.  Now she's someone she once despised, and everyone around her is miserable because of her, especially her assistant April Williams (Issa Rae), who does everything Jordan asks of her and more, yet she won't give April the time of day to pitch her own ideas.  One day she berates a young girl, who wishes her to be little, and the next morning Jordan wakes up as her middle-school self (Marsai Martin), and understandably freaks out.  As April takes on the duties of Jordan's company, Jordan has to go back to the place she dreads the most - middle school - and finds that not a lot has changed.  As the two women take on their new tasks, they come to understand themselves and Jordan especially learns valuable life lessons that she forgot since being a child.

Yes, you can easily predict how everything plays out, and all the character developments along the way.  Director Tina Gordon doesn't set out to establish any new laws regarding age-swapping, so there's not a lot that the script delivers beyond the general humor you'd expect from a film like this.  It's not exciting or even funny mostly, and it just drudges along at a snail's pace as we sit back and play on our phones waiting for the final revelations to come to light and the credits thankfully roll.

It's a shame that such a lackluster script was given to three incredibly talented comediennes, but that's what happened.  We're treated with three actresses who span the comedy age range from seasoned to modern to new, and each adds their own flair to the program.  Regina Hall is a comedic mastermind since her early days in the "Scary Movie" films, and she tries her hardest to be a wannabe "Devil Wears Prada" boss, but obviously her role is the most negated due to the majority of the film being about her younger self, but the brief moments she's on screen she really hams it up and tries her hardest to be funny - but again, the script just doesn't allow it.

Issa Rae has exploded onto the comedy scene after her short series "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl," which opened the door for her Golden Globe-nominated stint on the hit series "Insecure."  She has a unique comedic talent of seemingly being totally flustered at all times, having this sort of nervous energy that's absolutely captivating, and here she once again uses this to her strength as the long-suffering April, who endures Jordan's constant berating and belittling attitude.  She easily has the best one-liners and as with Jordan undergoes her own transformation into a strong, confident woman, but also is mostly relegated to the sidelines in favor of the younger Jordan's life's journey.

Marsai Martin is the future of comedy, a young actress wise beyond her years not just in her comedic timing, but her sheer brilliance, determination, and dedication as well.  She was the one who got "Little" off the ground, and she completely owns her performance as the middle-school Jordan who begins her journey as the stuck-up executive but slowly realizes she doesn't want to be that person anymore after several interactions with fellow bullied classmates.  You can tell Martin is passionate for the project, and it's just unfortunate that the script doesn't allow her to tread on any new territory, resulting in a bland, boring story that's totally wasted on these talented ladies.

Seen as "Big" through the eyes of African American women, "Little" is heightened by the dedicated performances of the three main actresses, but dragged down by a bland script that offers very little laughs and even less surprises.

The Score: D