I FINALLY got to go see the new Little Women movie!! (Don’t worry. I won’t spoil it for you.) In the midst of wrapping up the manuscript for my new book, I needed a break! I had been writing around the clock for weeks. Little Women fit the bill perfectly!
I found the movie beautiful and mesmerizing. I personally had to see it twice in order to really and truly wrap my head around it. That’s partly because I favor previous versions so much and because this one was so different (in a mostly good way).
The story is told from the viewpoint of Jo March and her sisters when they are grown (it starts when Amy is in Europe with Aunt March). The film goes back and forth through time, switching from adulthood to childhood.
It took me a while to get used to the timeline (and I’m still deciding what I think about that). My daughter was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to start out with them as little girls, which I totally get. My husband thought that some scenes (such as Amy burning Jo’s book) lacked the impact and pathos they might have had if the story was told in chronological order.
Overall, I think this movie is spectacular. I might have made a few tweaks here and there, but everything about this film is of the highest quality. It’s gorgeous to watch. You feel like you’re right there with them. And many parts of the book are more fully developed than in other film versions.
The downsides:
- I couldn’t get past Amy’s (Florence Pugh’s) low voice when she was young Amy. My husband said she sounded like smoked 3 packs a day. (Which made me die laughing.) Casting a younger actress for young Amy would have helped. That said, I thought Pugh was BRILLIANT in the older Amy scenes. (Also, I don’t know if Florence Pugh actually smokes; that is just my husband’s silly sense of humor.) Perhaps we are the only ones with this opinion.
- I didn’t enjoy Theodore Laurence (Timothée Chalamet) as older Laurie. Chalamet looks very young, so I had a hard time believing he was an adult in the older scenes (even though he is an actual adult in real life). I did enjoy him as younger Laurie.
- Telling the story from an adult point-of-view and showing their childhood in flashbacks. I enjoyed it from an artistic view. I liked it as someone who loves and knows the story really well. It felt like a trip down memory lane. But it might be confusing to people who don’t already know the story. (Tip: My daughter and I watched Jo’s hairstyle to know when we were switching back and forth through time.)
The upsides:
- The beautiful messages of faith and family
- A new take on a classic book that is sure to draw a new generation of readers to the book!
- Marmee (Laura Dern) was extraordinary
- The relationship between Marmee and Jo
- I loved Jo (Saoirse Ronan)
- The costumes, the scenery, the cinematography
- The story itself
- The scenes when Jo writes her book and watches the printing process
- All the scenes with Jo and Beth
- Mr. Laurence and Beth (so beautiful!)
My first reaction to seeing the movie was great. Why? Mainly because I came right home, walked straight to my bookshelf, and immediately started rereading Little Women. If a film moves its viewers to go and read the original book, then I’m all for it!
Questions for you:
- Who is your favorite character in the book? Who is your least favorite?
- And…did you see the movie? Did you like it??
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