It is always a risk when you go and try to remake a film. It is especially a risk when you are remaking a film that has been remade multiple times. How do you make it feel fresh but also honor the true heart of the story? That is the question Greta Gerwig’s new version of Little Women is being asked to answer now. Will Little Women pull off this difficult task and add to the legacy of the story? Much to my surprise it absolutely did. Greta Gerwig has crafted a film that you don’t feel like you’ll connect to but somehow can’t resist and has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in her rendition of Little Women.
Little Women has been made now four times so most should know the story but for those young people who don’t, Little Women is about a group of four sisters coming of age right after the end of the Civil War. They learn what it is like to be family but also grow up when the task seems ever so difficult. I have to say, I was not looking forward to this film. Hearing we are getting a fourth retelling of this story doesn’t excite me but knowing Gerwig is directing it peaked my interest. For the first twenty minutes or so I was very much bored. They were building the relationships, but I wasn’t sure where the film was going or what it was trying to do. Then without you noticing, suddenly you realize how locked in and how invested in these characters you are. To the point where I had to use the bathroom and then forgot about it because I wanted to see what happens next. Was not anticipating having that feeling but it was a pleasant surprise.
What worked so well for Greta Gerwig’s last film Lady Bird was its central theme of family. She captures that essence so well through the interactions of the characters where every fight, every hug, and every tear that is exchanged between them feels real. She takes that to another level in Little Women. There is a much larger central cast in this film as compared to her first and each character feels fully realized and lived in. The film bounces back and forth between the present and seven years prior where the past is so much of a happier time compared to the present. As the film goes on, the past catches up to the place the characters are in now and to see that natural progression happen so seamless is utterly impressive. Each sister we get to see develop into a woman and the paths are never easy. Some settle, some have relationship dilemmas, and some don’t have the best future, but in the end, they are still family and no matter the obstacle, the film never loses that central theme. It is essentially what makes this film work as well as it does and without it, this would be some sappy soap opera.
The cast Gerwig has assembled for this film is on another level as well. Saoirse Ronan plays the main lead Jo in this one. Her and Gerwig teamed for Lady Bird a couple years ago and here they keep that magic going. Ronan just has that leading actor “it” factor that few are able to handle so effortlessly and make it look so easy. The other actor you will be hearing much about after this is Florence Pugh as Amy. Amy and Jo have their differences and they cause stirs throughout the film, but Pugh is what makes them work. You buy her as that bold and rash character who makes mistakes but does them out of love. Pugh just has a presence onscreen where you recognize all the other actors, but for some reason she just seems to stand out above the rest. Timothee Chalamet also is as amazing as he always is. This guy burst onto the scene just a couple years ago and in just that short time has established himself as one of the best young actors we have ever seen. He’s doing his best James Dean where he is captivating without even trying and the result is a treat to see every time he is in a film.
Little Women has to be the biggest surprise of the year for me. Not because it is good, I expected it to be, but because of how invested I was. Make no mistake, this is a film women are going to die for, there were audible reactions and sniffles at so many points in the film from the audience. However, men, do not miss this one because it does not look like it is for guys. It will grab your heart and force it to smile. This is a film everyone can enjoy no matter what you believe, and I have a feeling you will be hearing about it much in the coming awards months.
The Verdict