Movie Review: ‘Little Women’ a worthy remake

Little Women official movie poster. Courtesy of IMDB

By Claire Convis
Deputy Editor

Grade: B+

See it if: You love a good period drama.

Skip it if: Flashbacks tend to throw you off.

This remake of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel brings us back to the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy—and follows their experiences as they navigate whatever life throws in their path. They cope with their father being away at war, they put on plays for the neighborhood children and they befriend their next-door neighbor, wealthy, playful Laurie.

Jo moves to New York in hopes of becoming a famous author, Amy prefers preening in Paris and trying to marry rich, Meg wants a house and a family of her own, and Beth would rather stay at home in peace and play the piano. Although they might not always agree, and often annoy each other, the sisters never stay mad for long.

“Life is too short to be angry at one’s sisters,” Jo says.

This bittersweet story about growing up around the Civil War is full of cheek kisses, fights, tickle fights, ballroom dances, dressing up in the attic, as well as sadness and sacrifice. Fans of the novel and past adaptations are sure to enjoy this recent remake.

As someone who grew up watching the 1994 film version with my sisters, I wasn’t sure about this version; however, I found this new adaptation of the classic novel was well worth the watch. The 1994 version will always be beautiful, but this new film brought Alcott’s book to life in a new—and sometimes improved—way.

This 2019 film sheds a much stronger light on the struggle for women during that time period. As there were precious few ways for women to make a living, the common expectation was to marry a rich man. Amy points out that once married, a woman’s money, children and property all belong to her husband. And Jo strives to let the world know that “Women have minds and souls as well as hearts, and talent and ambition as well as beauty.”

Timothee Chalamet is the Laurie we never knew we needed. The first time we see him stroll onto the screen, a character screams “Stop the carriage!” and runs out to hug him, and honestly, I would have done the same. If you’ve seen the 1994 version starring Winona Ryder and Christian Bale, then you know how solid Bale’s acting is, but Chalamet leveled up Laurie’s character in this recent adaptation. His caring, gentle friendship is shown in how he treats each one of the March sisters with consideration, not only favoring Jo. Chalamet’s Laurie listens intentionally to the March sisters—even when it’s heartbreakingly hard—and he keeps his hands to himself more than Bale’s Laurie did.

The film’s setback is all of the flashbacks; if you know the story well, have read the book or seen another adaptation, then you should be fine, but newcomers might struggle to follow the story. The film flits back and forth from present to future, and it can be difficult to tell if you are watching a flashback scene or not.

Not all of the casting was spot-on, but Emma Watson was lovely as Meg, and the roles of Aunt March, Marmee and Jo are all played brilliantly by Meryl Streep, Laura Dern and Saoirse Ronan respectively.

The sisters teasing each other is humorous, the meltdowns over hair disasters are relatable and every scene involving dancing or the seaside is superb. This already timeless tale finds new life in its 2019 adaptation, portraying life honestly, with its many moments of friendship, romance, loss, rejection and change.