Little Women

Game effort by Gerwig to put a fresh spin on this oft-told story is an interesting misfire - well performed (especially by Dern) and lovingly crafted, but the convoluted and confusing storytelling structure makes this harder work than it needs to be; without a throughline or solid anchor for her story, it too often feels like scattered, random moments stitched together however best they fit (note how Chalamet's Laurie seems to arbitrarily change partners and motivations scene by scene).

Gerwig deserves enormous credit for taking what is, to my knowledge, a fairly linear plot and elegantly restructuring it into a freewheeling and vibrant affair which skips back and forth in time, which manages the tricky feat of never losing focus of any of its four central characters at any point during their arcs. It's a far more difficult narrative balancing act than it might appear to be. What's more, the cast and crew all bring their A-games. One (tiny) complaint? The brief meta-commentary.

For the eyes, ears, mind, and heart, a holistic delight. It's energetic, fun, nuanced, pointed, and sentimental in turn, performed with cohesive adroitness by, in particular, Ronan, Pugh, and Chalamet, who share many incredible moments (Watson is a noticeable weak link). The cinematography, design, and costumes enhance and emphasize the story at every turn. A lovely film.

Gerwig is our new Scorsese, Saoirse Ronan is her de Niro. That's no hyperbole. I spent two wonderful, precise hours in this world yet not naive world... and then last 20 minutes turn it into something magnificent, new, wise and complex. Without being vain or smug about itself. Aware of the dangers that every new frontier brings. Aware of the shatters that every glass ceiling possesses. Which makes its own convictions even more powerful.

Gerwig is far more interested in the major arcs of the themes and characters than the individual moments that make up the very special whole. Your mileage may vary on that decision, and while I think Gerwig’s take definitely works (and sometimes flourishes), I ultimately prefer Armstrong’s more “moment-oriented” 1994 adaptation. Nonetheless, the sheer power and warmth of the source material radiates through more often than it doesn’t.

Amy 4 life

Gerwig sticks close to the 1994 adaptation in terms of scenes, and if I wanted to be facetious I might imply that that's the main reason why she's chosen to shuffle the narrative. It does ultimately work, however, because the last section of the film is the most engaging. Also, the meta stuff towards the end elevates the material. As, as per usual, does Meryl Streep.

Actually, the first version of the film I have seen (and never read the book) and was pleasantly surprised. It's a tad sappy, but none of it seems out of place and all the leads and support are charming. A nice little watch that had me genuinely interested in material I normally wouldn't be.

hi I'd like to be saoirse ronan okay bye

[Second viewing] Gerwig is an oustanding talent. I was too stupid the first time around to see the clever way she uses the different timelines/filters and once I did, my respect for the movie and the writing grew immensely. Saorsie and Pugh are the best of the best and they deliver, but the Beth/Mr.Lawrence story-line is the one that pulled the most at my heartstrings here. The movie as a whole did not move me as much as I hoped, but everything is do damn good that I can hardly fault it.

I wish I had more to say, but really, this was nice, comforting entertainment given a bit of personal voice by someone who clearly adores the material.

Noticed that for as hot as Chalamet is, he has Hank Hill butt. We have that in common, at least.

You know how sappy, soulless rom-coms are often labeled the feel-good movie of the year? And really they only make us feel good in vapid ways? Little Women makes you feel good in a fulfilling way. It's a reminder of why collaboration is the medium's cornerstone. Gerwig's script is tactfully modernized and her direction keeps the pace afloat and the ensemble brimming with chemistry. I knew nothing of the original work and left feeling happy. Just in bliss. That's so hard to find today.

Boasting one of the sharpest scripts of the year and an ensemble of great performances, Little Women is a lovely and fitting adaptation from Greta Gerwig.

THESE WOMEN MIGHT BE LITTLE BUT MY LOVE FOR FLORENCE PUGH IS BIG

Greta Gerwig breathes new life into a familiar book and though it started a little slowly for me, by the end, I was thoroughly engrossed in the interlocked relationships portrayed. The writing is razor sharp and gives the stellar cast room to shine. The film also features some surprisingly beautiful cinematography that cast new shades of beauty on a lot of the scenes.

I liked that this is, in effect, a story within a story and I thought Saoirse Ronan did well as Jo March. I like that the story has at least an element of female empowerment about it, esp. at the very end. I cringed at the really 'girly girl' aspects of it. Of course, if your not keen on 'twee' period dramas with giggling female siblings and the like then this may well not appeal to you but even so, I felt this was a well made film and it has enough going for it for the rating I gave it.

Gerwig has managed to 'utilize' the characters out of a decent book and, with her typically contemporary and 'oh, I am so smart' writing style, turn them into four boring, unlikable, unbelievable clichés. Well done Greta! Coupled with a complete mess of unecessary flashbacks, an uninteresting plot, a boorish idiot playing "Laurie", A Prof Bhaer whose courtship involves insulting Jo, and a contrived ending made this adaption into a mitigated disaster. The BBC did this SO much better in 2017

Rewatch needed. Nice warm film but I really had a hard time following the time jumps. They all looked fairly similar. Laurie also looked like he was a decade younger than the women (he probably was). Old Bob Odenkirk is a joy. Fav scene: the book burning.

The timeline hopping is cleverly and masterfully executed (see the warm vs. cold tones, mirrored shots) and adds remarkable emotional depth (see Jo walking down the stairs x2) to what is an already extremely well-written (and acted) web of characters (to the big emotional moments are added many brilliant little overlapping quips and quibbles). Often hilarious ("I'm making a mould of my foot for Laurie to remind him I have nice feet!") and always heartfelt, with a delightfully cheeky ending.

I could not be less interested in a film, but I still liked it. Ronan is amazing and Chalamet and Cooper are also great. The parallel timeline structure felt at times a little to written, but it is charming.

Constantly on the move, and on different time levels, capturing the life filled coming of age story of four sisters all with different natures and life aspirations. It's difficult not to like the spirit, energy, and warmth of the film.

The best version of the story I've seen, but for Jo you can't top Hepburn. It's a weird thing to release in this day and age especially considering how many times this story has been rehashed over and over again, but Greta Gerwig manages to streamline it to the most important parts, sealing the deal with the ending. On the other hand she can't write people who aren't extensions of herself, and the whole film's smug aura mocks me. You can't reinvent the wheel every time

I'm not so sure if the interleaved plot does more to enhance or confuse, but the whole thing has such Chaotic Greta Gerwig Energy to it so you win this round, Gerwig. The colors in this are so good.

It's almost like this getting snubbed at the Oscars was the whole point the film was trying to make...

Thoroughly enjoyed every second of this. I'm a sucker for Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh and could probably watch them in anything especially together. Greta Gerwig definitely has a talent for witty relatable dialogue. Perhaps what makes this movie so great is the perfectly casted cast and their onscreen chemistry. If you enjoyed the originals and/or some of Gerwigs other films, you'll most definitely find something to love here.

A-

I've never read the book, but the film is basically perfect. I didn't expect to be interested in the characters, but everything comes together so well that it's tough not to love it.

A primeira metade me irritou deveras por conta de alguns vícios de linguagem visual e da edição em paralelo do presente/passado, mas a segunda metade melhora consideravelmente e aquela edição que tanto me irritou se mostra absolutamente relevante para os termos da narrativa. Plus: Garrel, bitches. DVDScr Hive-CM8

Some directors need time to refine their craft and start taking chances with their materials but not Greta Gerwig who absolutely knocked it out of the park in her 2nd picture. What an audacious piece of filmmaking from her, she took a story very familiar and done with it something that couldn't be described except with it being miraculous. Bravo, Greta.

Great film. I loved the costume design. I'm a guy and I enjoyed this film.

I'm pretty fond of what Gerwig does here. This is a movie full of affection--affection for sisterly bonds, for the creative process, for life, for compassion and for neighborliness. The back and forth narrative works exceedingly well, as early (in time) scenes play off the later ones often juxtaposed together. The brighter lighting of the past scenes brings a striking contrast to the film, where memories are often inflated in the face of the profound struggles of today. Well done all around.

Charming and lovely, strong performances throughout.

A lot of men would easily write this off as a chick flick, but that would be doing a major disservice to Greta Gerwig and the love and craft she put into it. Saoirse Ronan is the perfect Jo March and Timothée Chalamet is almost equally as good as Laurie. As natural as the dialogue is, some lines did feel overly written. While I do think Pugh was really good I did notice that her accent stood out, sounding very modern when compared to Ronan and Watson. Lastly, Dern felt ever so slightly miscast.

I can see what they were going for, it just doesn't work for me.

Exceptional good, but not in a showy way, adaptation of a classic.

Unfamiliar with the source material but I thought this was quality. Can’t think of many weaknesses. Although quite sentimental, there’s a warmth throughout that justifies it and turns the weakness into a strength. Ronan and Chalamet need to be in a movie together every year. Their chemistry is one of my favorite recurring cinematic revelations in recent years.

A transcendentally beautiful film from its first frame to its last, almost as if it were a dream or memory put to celluloid. Gerwig utterly transforms the novel, restructuring and reframing the narrative in ways that no previous adaptation has dared to. She fully grasps the semi-autobiographical nature of Alcott's text, inextricably tying both the author and her little women together with a sterling screenplay and the performances of this incomparable ensemble cast. A truly wondrous thing.

As opposed to the didactic, quotey, and unlikable Lady Bird, Little Women is adaptive in the multiple values of its leading ladies, is filled with wonderfully life-like and extraordinary acted (and often funny) dialogue, and is very warm. I was thoroughly absorbed by all the characters in this film and felt like I knew them intimately, leaving me very emotional in the last act -- the ending is a clever twist (and yet still acceptance) on this genre.

Well made overall, my two main complaints are that it is just a bit slow at points and a couple of the performances were weaker despite the strong cast on paper.

So good that I was rooting too hard for Jo and Laurie’s love that was not meant to be. I suppose that was the point, though…still a heartbreaker.

Jo March: "Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty. I'm so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I'm so sick of it."

the wardrobe! the horror!!!

This is the first adaptation of this story i have seen and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It has plenty of good characters who just pop off the screen and it's handled with a tone that's just perfect with it. Some of the time jumping can get slightly disorienting at times, but for the most part it's not bad and everyone gets their screen time and has plenty of room to breath. Very well done.

Espléndida nueva versión de la clásica y exitosa novela de May Louise Alcott.Protagonizado por un reparto increible, la historia del drama de las hermanas March ha conmovido ya a muchas generaciones.Hay algunos cambios para adaptar la historia a la actualidad.

Greatly disliked the directing and script.

Such a beautiful film. It was cast so well and all the girls truly feel like sisters. It was just a nice watch. Love Greta Gerwig's work.

Couldn't finish, quite boring and some of the characters are such awful people that it was difficult to watch

#21#, exp3, rw3, story, ratings, cast.

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Only version I have seen this far. Good non-linear scripting of a linear story. Storyline has been adapted to 21st century ideas and values, which is ok as long as not too underlined.

The non-linear narrative feels forced and inauthentic. Not born out of necessity but to add useless trickery. If anything, made me appreciate the Ryder/Bale film more.

Little Women (2019) is twice as good as Little Women (1933), and that one had Katharine Hepburn, which tells you how much I appreciated this new adaptation of a women's novel that's been adapted countless of times for the big screen.

Wholesome, moral storytelling is underrated, and I'm incredulous that many people who see this didn't consider its moral fiber its backbone.

Excellent cast and momentum make this period piece shine. The first 15 minutes were difficult to grasp, but then the film hit its groove.

Decent story raised by some good storytelling choices (the ending in particular) and excellent casting. Let's hope Scanlen doesn't get to spend her entire career playing dying teenagers though.

I guess it's only fair that after getting tired of Baumbach, I now am disillusioned about Gerwig as well. A bunch of girls getting excited about dresses, hair and Chalamet - definitely not made for me. (Also earns the questionable distinction of being the most cliché Hollywood movie I may have seen this year.)

As a viewer who has not read the novel before, it did not impress me.

"If I were a girl in a book this would all be so easy. "

This adaption, unlike others, starts near the end of the book and tells the familiar tale through flashbacks. It adds a richness to spend more time with the Little Women versus the girls growing up. Every character seemed well cast. Of all the versions, this sets up best if the studio decided to do one of the other books.

Through top-notch performances by a top-quality cast, excellent writing & direction from Gerwig & beautiful visuals, this feels every bit like its source material: timeless. The story hits you in ways & at times you don't expect it to, & as a writer I definitely felt that much more connected to it. The themes are well-explored, the messages well-delivered, & the narrative flows almost effortlessly from beginning to end. Emotional, impactful & important, this is a must-watch & one of 2019's best.

At first I rated this movie 70. And then I saw some photos of the costumes and I changed the rating to 80.

Given the length of the original novel, it would have been hard for a film adaptation to give each sister adequate attention, so the (socio-psychological) images of the other sisters except Jo seem a bit vague. And without knowing anything about the director, I suspect some simplistic "feminist" tint prevents the film from exposing well how female independence is not an empty slogan but a question whose resolution lies in the interaction between the socio-psychological and the biological.

I'm a fan of Gerwig. Clever timeline, beautiful shots, quick dialogue, brilliant timing and important messages. And it were all delivered by an awesome cast. *Very good.

For me, I think this was the movie of the year. I thought it was smart and fun and used an old story to speak about a relevant topic in a clever way. Very relatable, just like Lady Bird.

Great, but tried to shove in too many parts of the long ass book that nothing really got to be emotionally resonant. That being said Florence Pugh is a treat.

A little too whimsical in the beginning, but in the end it's a rare movie that strikes a perfect balance between gravity and pure delight.

Flawless adaptation yet bland story unless you are the target demographic.

I liked, but not too much. Honestly, I was expecting a another end. The story builds with great details the most characters, but Saoirse marry that undetailed "friend" virtually unknown???????? Oh no :( But the filming is magnific! I loved the way that Greta shows past and present. Wroth it!

I'm giving this a very average score not because it's a bad movie, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. It took me a while to get the characters straight, which was made even more difficult by the time jumps which come out of nowhere. Meg - the actress, dark hair. Jo - the troubled writer. Amy - the artist. Beth - the musician, reddish hair. The story is pretty much pure romance, so if that's your thing, you'll likely adore this movie. Ending was best part of this movie, which is rare.

Great cast, touching

never read the book but my impression is i'd have liked this more without gerwig's transparent attempts to make it more relevant to herself and modern audiences. mark cira's letterboxd piece lays this out in more detail (he also wrote probably the best review of the irishman i've read anywhere, while we're on the subject).

Gerwig is an amazing director. She creates such amazing atmospheres and characters and draws you in so well. Everything about this one was perfect, script, editing, characters, the way it was filmed.. Just an wholesome, good telling of the age old story. Really well made, amazingly acted and directed.

Herkesin çocukken mutlaka okuduğu ve sevdiği bilindik bir hikaye.1994 versiyonunun eline su bile dökemez. Bilindik hikayeyi farklı bir kurgu ile anlatım yolu seçilerek zamanda atlamalar ile aktarmışlar aslında bence olumlu bir düşünce lakin zamanda atlama yapılan sahneleri seyirci olarak ilk anda anlamanın imkanı yok ve bir yerden sonra hikaye bilindik olmasına rağmen bulmaca çözer gibi izlemek o kadar yorucu bir hale geliyor ki izlemekten vazgeçmemek için ciddi efor gerek.

I don't understand why people love it so much. For me most of it looked like a TV movie, stylistic exaggerations, forced attempts to use different linguistic resources, some actually cringy moments specially when trying to look fun/emotional, overall chaotic. The last half of the movie is better. Part of the acting is very good.

Such an uninteresteing movie. I was really disappointed. (Criticker no longer works for me - it gave this flic a PSI of 77.)

I really didn't expect to get so much invested in the characters. Just love everything about this movie.

As a guy I was not sure I wanted to watch this one since it is almost entirely about its female characters. I am glad I did. It is a sensible movie with nicely drawn out characters. There are moments of joy and sadness, as in life. I didn't read the book; so I can't compare it but I am not complaining at all.

Alcott's Little Women seems like a response (or an American update) to Austen's portrayal of the life of women. Gerwig does a great job with her adaptation, giving the telling a contemporary feel that will entertain certain English Lit students and film buffs for years to come. The de-linearization serves it purpose to elucidate the theme of a woman's growth, but at times at the expense of the story. Watson still feels stilted, and I've never found the characters gripping, but it is a good film.

Deftly mixes the sentimental and the nostalgic with the colder realities of life, creating a beautiful tapestry. Quietly stunning to look at, funny, full of life, and a bunch of other good and wholesome things. It balances the patriarchal demands and economic realities of the 1800's with creative passion, with the urge to live YOUR life set against the interweaving history of a family. I love it, I love it a lot.

The end was just great cinema. Florence Pugh is a delight.

Joey Tribbiani: These little women, how little are they?

A clear step up from Gerwig's "Lady Bird" which I also liked. This is a more ambitious work; a period piece based on a book that has been adapted multiple times, but she still manages to make it feel fresh. That's largely thanks to her direction which has a great flow and the way she handles the parallel timelines -- and a great cast - especially Ronan and Pugh. Cinematography and score are also high quality. It will be interesting to see what Greta does next.

Greta Gerwig'den bir zaman yolculuğu. 4 genç kız kardeşin hikayesini anlatan film, dönemin kostümleri, prodüksiyonu, mekanları, tarzlarıyla baş döndürüyor. Florence Pugh'un başarılı oyunculuğuyla, Laura Dern'in etkileyici performansı seyirciyi mest ediyor. Filmde ölenler olsa da kazanan zorla da olsa aşk oluyor. Başarılı 1 uyarlama. Keşke daha fazla ödül alsaymış. Biz dört kişiyiz kardeş.

I didn't expect this. Took me by complete surprise. Acting and writing that inspires! I haven't seen the old ones and after this one I'm in no rush either. A very sentimentally told story with mixing timelines and great character progression. A very feminine movie indeed but by end I was completely feeling the vibe. Greta is clearly a very talented individual who I enjoy more and more in any role of a movie she appears. I would love to watch this movie again one day and that makes my heart warm.

Rating is more of a placeholder than anything else; I'll need a second watch to figure out what I think about this one.

Gêmeos

I WANT TO BE GREAT OR NOTHING