by Emma Smith, Assistant Editor
Little Women follows the trials and tribulations of four young women as they come of age at the tail end of the Civil War. In true sisterly fashion, they support each other while also occasionally clashing on things as serious as marriage and as silly as pickles. Tagging along on their journey is Theodore Laurence (“Laurie”) the handsome but sad rich boy from next door. The four sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy) have different paths to adulthood, but in their own way, each sister struggles with how limited their options are to make their way in the world. Navigating those options leads each sister to her own happiness, whether fleeting or built to last.
Director Greta Gerwig’s version of Little Women is only the latest in a long line of adaptations for screens large and small. One might be forgiven for wondering what there is left to say about a novel that was first published 150 years ago. However, Gerwig manages to achieve the incredible feat of not only staying true to the source material itself, but also to the creator of that source material: Louisa May Alcott. The overtness of the feminism in Gerwigs’ interpretation of Little Women can seem almost too modern at times. Yet, it is exactly the type of feminism that led to the book’s creation. Louisa May Alcott was strongly feminist in a way that was far ahead of her time, and she spent much of her life pushing boundaries of what was permissible for woman, and an unmarried one at that. It is clear in her writing, both Little Women and her other works, that she strained under the narrow expectations of women in her time. The film is clearly a love letter, not only for the novel that many of us grew up reading, but also to the author who refused to let her gender limit her life.
To assist her in this endeavor, Greta Gerwig put together an impressive list of talent. The 2019 film features Saoirese Ronan as Jo March, Emma Watson as Meg March, Florence Pugh as Amy March, Eliza Scanlen as Beth March, Laura Dern as Marmee March, Meryl Streep as Aunt March, Timothee Chalamet as Theodore Laurence, and Louis Garrel as Professor Fredrich Bhaer. Few fit my personal vision from reading the books, but by the end of the movie, each one of them had convinced me that they were made for their role. No one will ever be Jo March as thoroughly as Saoirse Ronan managed to be Jo March in this film. Florence Pugh deserves special recognition of her portrayal of Amy, who is often a difficult character to like, but whom she manages to give extra depth. Emma Watson and Eliza Scanlen take on the less flashy of the sisters and imbue them with a true sense of purpose. Louis Garrel was a wonderful choice to play Professor Bhaer, a character with the enormously thankless task of being someone other than Theodore Laurence. Timothee Chalamet and Meryl Streep both seem to have fun with their roles, working in a bit of scenery chewing when needed.
The production design, costume design, music and cinematography are both beautiful and unassuming, letting the characters take central focus. Gerwig and editor Nick Houy took a risk in approaching the story non-linearly, but one that I felt worked well. Overall, a job well done.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Little Women 5 out of 5 Pickled Limes.
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