‘Little Women’ Critics’ Review: Charmingly Classic Yet Modern

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women is the latest screen adaptation of the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern and Timothee Chalamet.

Here’s what critics have to say about the film:

“Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, this ‘Little Women’ – the latest of many adaptations – embraces its source material with eager enthusiasm rather than timid reverence. It is faithful enough to satisfy the book’s passionate devotees, who will recognise the work of a kindred spirit, while standing on its own as an independent and inventive piece of contemporary popular culture. Without resorting to self-conscious anachronism or fussy antiquarianism, Gerwig has fashioned a story that feels at once entirely true to its 19th-century origins and utterly modern.” 

AO Scott, The New York Times

“Rather than telling the story straight through, the way Alcott and her other adapters have, Gerwig opts to shuffle the scenes, telling ‘Little Women’ almost entirely out of order, except for the Christmas letter from Father that opens the tale and the kiss that ends it. As in ‘Lady Bird’, she and editor Nick Houy keep things moving at a quick clip, though skipping around in time is a mistake, making a plot Gerwig must have considered too episodic, or else too melodramatic for her taste, even more so on both counts – as evidenced by the way that, in hindsight, it’s the emotional episodes we return to in our memories, rather than the overall arc of what happened to the March family.”

Peter Debruge, Variety

“Perhaps most satisfying is a deftly meta scene that addresses the point at which Alcott’s life – she remained unmarried – and Jo’s (wed to an older professor) diverge. Gerwig acknowledges the commercial pressure to marry off a fictional female character, and argues that the real happy ending is the publishing of Jo’s book. That said, by casting Louis Garrel as Friedrich Bhaer, Gerwig ensures that Jo is not exactly short-changed in the husband department.In addition to Alcott, the main beneficiary of Gerwig’s inclusive approach is the youngest March sister, Amy (a magnificent Florence Pugh – what a year she has had!). While other versions of the story have painted her as bratty and spoiled, here Amy and Jo are two sides of the same coin.”

Wendy Ide, The Guardian