Little Women is a modern day retelling of the classic novel of the same name written by Louisa May Alcott 150 years ago. This is not a remake, of course, as it is set in the modern era. The movie attempts to tell the story we all love with modern sisters, issues, and perspectives. The characters are pretty much how you remember them. Jo is ambitious, has anger issues, and is always writing. Beth is a quiet pianist and Meg is caring and responsible. Amy is materialistic and pouty as a child, but improves as she matures. Marmee is also there as are Aunt March, Laurie, and others.
Little Women covers an ambitious time frame, showing scenes from the girls’ childhood up through eventual weddings. The film uses a flashback method to enable the long time frame. This can be a little hard to follow if you are a person who ignores markers such as “six years earlier” and other time frame hints. Sometimes I felt that the movie was jumping back and forth too much. In fact, the first 20 minutes of the movie were filled with frequent jumps that left me unsettled in the story. However, the remainder of the movie fell into a graceful cadence that was easy to follow.
The issues the March sisters in this movie faced are different from what the sisters in the novel went through. For example, in her quest to fit in, Meg drinks alcohol at a party and is tempted to go to far with a boy. She does not go through with it and makes a choice. Her actions are never portrayed as fun or as moral and the audience is rooting for her to be strong, which does happen. Additionally, the girls’ father is deployed, but unlike the book, due to the modern setting, they are able to speak to him via video call.
Overall, the film is a nice female-focused movie. If you are looking for a true-to-the-book adaptation, you will be disappointed. While Little Women is not true to the book, it does capture the spirit of the beloved story. I read Little Women when I was a schoolgirl. I have also watched at least one screen adaptation of the book, although I could not tell you which one. Overall, I am not a fan of book-to-movie projects as few do it well. However, there is value in watching a good story unfold and sharing a family-friendly night at the movies with the girls celebrating sisters and family.
I grew up with two younger sisters who were twins. There were times we were like the Three Musketeers and other times when they united against me, their mean ol’ big sister. We fought over clothes, shared life, stood up for one another, and competed for the front seat. That is how sisterhood is. My biggest regret for my daughter is that she does not have a sister and will never know that special relationship. It was fun to show her a little bit of sister-life with this movie.
Little Women
Running time: 112 minutes
Rated: Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and teen drinking
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