Little Women

Fresh, playful, at times extremely conversational, but improvisationally well played. The casting is superb (Ronan, Watson, Pugh). It's hard to say how faithful it is to the source material, or rather to the original film, but it meets the contemporary demands of a historical conversational drama with family values and ingredients in the form of relationships and life turning points and decisions very well. Perhaps the only bigger problem is with the flashbacks, which the director puts there quite unsparingly. It takes a while to get your bearings. (07/06/2020)

This story of four sisters coming of age in the mid-nineteenth century and figuring out what they want out of life is surprisingly relevant in the twenty-first century. In it, Greta Gerwig gives space to the actresses in particular, who certainly don't let her down, and she handles the touching and funny scenes with complete ease. An honest and entertaining modern adaptation of a literary classic. It's just a pity that it is perhaps unnecessarily cold and aloof in its first half. (30/01/2020)

The 1994 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel impressed me a little more than this movie directed by Greta Gerwig. Nevertheless, I cannot deny the movie's impressive portrayal of the atmosphere of a bygone era, its excellent cast and the acting performances. The costume design is also undoubtedly praiseworthy. But to be honest, I don't really understand the source of the general fascination with this romantic story, which I always found rather boring. (65%) (15/04/2023)

I went to the cinema to see the advanced premiere of Little Women and I can honestly say that I couldn't have picked a better movie for the last day of the year. I’m not familiar with the book, but I've always loved historical costume dramas, and when I saw everyone who was going to be in this film, I couldn't wait to see it on the big screen. Little Women impresses with a strong story that may smack a little of romance at times, but it is so believably written and above all superbly acted that you can safely ignore that and lets yourself ride the waves of a story about four sisters who couldn't be more different. All the actors played their parts to perfection and in a convincing manner, whether they were main or supporting roles. In addition, I must not forget the beautiful sets, the costumes and Alexandre Desplat's unmistakable music. Little Women mixes elements of drama, romance and humour in an artful and unforced way. I applaud and give it both thumbs up! (31/12/2019)

Greta Gerwig is a truly amazing narrator. Though the division of the plot into emotionally connected episodes prevented me from living the story of the characters as intensively and clearly as I would have wanted given the scope and the protagonists, it is actually thanks to that episodic arrangement and the time jumps that this intellectually demanding material never gets boring or suffers from narrative sterility. I must admit that at least once I didn’t know whom they were talking about, but otherwise I was thrilled with the natural heroines and their personal vicissitudes, the tasteful humour, the always brilliant Alexandre Desplat and the precise direction, which perfectly leads not only the actors, but also the tempo and the changes in character and motivational perspectives. And this is not about men as evil rulers of the world, it’s about the desire for self-expression in a world where men have the last word and are as indispensable as their own dreams and families. A funny and distinctive script, a wonderful Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh. 85% (14/03/2020)