Review of Little Women (2019) by Brent_Marchant — 04 Jan 2020

A picture that prides itself on its fine performances and excellent period piece production design alone is not enough to elevate said release to cinematic greatness. So it is with director Greta Gerwig's new film adaptation of the classic novel "Little Women," a self-congratulatory offering that might look nice but rings inauthentic and tedious in many regards.

This is particularly true for its almost-laughable screenplay, whose contemporary dialogue doesn't even begin to adequately suit the film's 19th Century setting. The nonlinear storytelling approach often doesn't work, either, given that there are few recognizable distinctions to separate different time frames from one another.

And, while many of the portrayals are solid -- Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet and Meryl Streep -- one can't help but cringe at the overwrought, award-baiting performance of Saoirse Ronan, whose mugging for the camera becomes tiresome quickly.

For all its hype, "Little Women," unfortunately, leaves viewers with little to like.