A Reel Review: LITTLE WOMEN

A good movie can be found anywhere, even in remakes and re-adaptations. Unfortunately, taking a

nother shot at old material hasn’t worked out well for Hollywood in the last decade or so. Most of them are crappy, shameless cash-grabs (GHOSTBUSTERS, POLTERGEIST) that bank on the name alone, while others (A STAR IS BORN, TRUE GRIT), can be excellent yet ignored by the awards circuit. Finding a fresh angle to make a remake work is key, and that is the challenge for director Greta Gerwig, who is behind yet another shot at LITTLE WOMEN. 

The March sisters; Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Met (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh), and Beth (Eliza Scanlen), grow up during the Civil War and experience hard times, family drama, love triangles, and battle with each other on their way to adulthood. 

Not looking to retread old territory, this version of LITTLE WOMEN swiftly and effectively sets itself apart from previous adaptations by employing a non-linear style of storytelling. The film begins where it ends (and eventually ends where it begins), by introducing us to the March sisters at a point in their lives where they are living apart; leading different lives and nearly estranged. How they got there is the real story, and the film uses flashbacks and then flash-forwards to unfold their journeys. It’s unexpected, different, and bold. 

The film settles itself into a series of vignettes, and through them the characteristics of the March sisters are fleshed out nicely. We have Jo the independent one with aspirations to be a paid writer, Amy the brat, Beth the shy yet talented piano player, and Beth the traditionalist. Together they bond to survive the War while their father (Bob Odenkirk) is away fighting, and their mother (Laura Dern), is left to care for them. During all this a love triangle develops between their well-to-do neighbor Laurie (Timothee Chalamet), which eventually causes drama between the sisters. Gerwig is playing with many themes of love, loss, family, and self-sacrifice, and weaves them well through every flashback and flash-forward.

A film with the non-linear style of this LITTLE WOMEN requires precise editing, and for the most part it works beautifully. The style of cinematography marks the past and present (the past is colorful, the present is not), and other visual clues such as hairstyles help to re-orient the viewer. The first flash-forward is a bit jarring, as we’re not quite aware that the story jumped ahead, but once the film finds its groove it works and works well. The transitions from past to present are timed just right, and two extended sequences featuring a family tragedy and a lovely memory are edited together in a way that takes us through an emotional roller-coaster. The movie looks great, and the score by Alexandre Desplat is excellent. 

Also excellent is the acting, as Gerwig gets top-notch performances from the entire cast. Saoirse Ronan gets most of the screentime, and carries her character as well as she ever did. Emma Watson and Eliza Scanlen are also very good, and Florence Pugh steals the show. The great Meryl Streep comes in as the sister’s aunt and has some very funny scenes, but feels a little under-utilized. Timothee Chalamet plays a love-sick puppy-dog and is as annoying as he his charming. 

Time will tell if this version of LITTLE WOMEN will stand as the definitive version of the story, which has now seen the big screen seven times and the little TV screen six times…but it is by far the most unique and daring, and the performances by all make it a tear-jerker more than once. Despite having its share of tragedy and the sad transition from childhood to adult, it’s a feel-good film that would be right at home on a holiday watch-list, and that makes it timeless. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it