Review of Little Women (2019) by Neal64 — 04 May 2020

This movie missed every note of the time period as well as the tone and overall message from the original book. Gerwig successfully took over a classic novel and twisted it to match her personal emotional agenda.

Every choice made in this movie from the costumes (a personal Oscar snub in my opinion) that dishonor the characters and the time period to even showcasing music that came out long after the book was published.

The non-linear structure paired with the lack of time sensitive choices, made it almost impossible to follow along. Every character except Jo is miscast, yes even the 23 year old playing the 12 year old.

Meg meant to be the oldest who is concerned with fitting into society and behaving properly, and who is constantly telling Jo in the book what is in and out of fashion, is played as a hippie child who lets her down and is never seen in a bonnet? Beth, who offers much more to the dynamic of the March family than she is even given time to breathe in this movie.

Amy, who is much like Meg in openly caring about social status and being swept away by a prince charming is played as a careless, annoying child. She should be played later in life as a poised, smart young woman but is seen screeching and flailing in public, which would have been her worst nightmare in the book.

Don't even get me started on Gerwig turning the lime scene where she is physically assaulted by the teacher into a comedic sketch where she is then rewarded for her vapid behavior by getting to meet Laurie.

Lastly, Marmee is supposed to resemble Jo, even saying that as a young woman she was temperamental and wild and angry. We can see this throughout the course of the 1994 movie through Susan Sarandon's acting.

But when Laura Dern out of nowhere in the 2019 version says "I'm angry all the time" I don't feel or buy it whatsoever. Dern portrays her as a chill, hippie mom who somehow dyes her hair blonde and wears her buns aggressively high for the time period.

I could go on and on about everything this movie did wrong, but I would run out of space, so I'll end it here.