Movies
“Little Women” Stayed On A Watchlist Far Too Long
Little Women (2019) sat on watchlist for way to long. I raise my hand and accept responsibility or that.
“19th century Massachusetts. While the March sisters – Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth – enter the threshold of womanhood, they go through many ups and downs in life and endeavor to make important decisions that can affect their future.”
Director: Greta Gerwig
Writers: Greta Gerwig, Louisa May Alcott
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet
Release Date: December 25, 2019
IMDB
Little Women (2019) sat on watchlist for way to long. I raise my hand and accept responsibility or that. Little Women is a fantastic movie that brings modern sensibilities to a timeless story. Personally speaking, I knew nothing of the classic Little Women story going in, yet even I could see the blending that writer and director Greta Gerwig was able to accomplish.
Emma and I watched Little Women not long after I was diagnosed with cancer, so let me tell you that the scenes with Beth March (Eliza Scanlen) really broke me down. The way that the sisters took care of Beth while she was suffering from scarlet fever reminds me of how Emma and my family are taking care of me with my condition. That scene on the beach with Beth and Jo (Saoirse Ronan) had me reaching for the tissues.
While all of the performances in Little Women are worthy of praise, Florence Pugh is the one actress who truly shines in the spotlight. She takes advantage of her big Oscar moment with her speech to Laurie (Timothée Chalamet) about how marriage is merely an economic proposition for women. The line from Amy about how she is not a poet, she is just a woman, lingers in the air and is a great reason why this screenplay was so well received.
And then there is the ending. What are the thoughts on the ending? It’s a bit too good to be true, no? Which ending do you choose to believe? Gerwig (this is her finest work IMO) does a fantastic job of leaving it up to the audience to interpret the final moments of Little Women. What we are shown is an idyllic ending with all the sisters coming together to celebrate the birthday of their mother and Jo married to Bhaer (Louis Garrel), but is that how it came to be or is that how it was rewritten in the book? Or was that how it would have been in the book if Jo had decided to rewrite the ending?
It’s a perfect ending because it lets the audience decide and think about it themselves. For myself, the color tones and the pure Eden-esq quality of the tone make it seem fictional to the story, meaning we, the audience, are fed when it is what the publisher wants from Jo’s story, not actually what happened.
Little Women was nominated for six Academy Awards at the 2020 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actress (Saoirse Ronan), Best Supporting Actress (Florence Pugh), Best Adapted Screenplay (Greta Gerwig), Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score. The only award won was by Jacqueline Durran for Best Costume Design.
Little Women is streaming on Hulu.
STANKO RATING: A
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