Little Women

     A new remake of the classic story of the March sisters by Louisa May Alcott is  version for our times. While it's set in 1860's New England, this new version, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, has a very contemporary tone.

     The cast is excellent. The four sisters are played by Emma Watson as Meg, Florence Pugh as Amy, Eliza Scanlen as Beth,and Saoirse Ronan as Jo. Ms. Ronan was born to play this part and is just wonderful as the most free spirited of the four. The film also stars Timothee Chalamet as Laurie (popping in and out of scenes like a jack in the box), Laura Dern as Mrs. March, Meryl Streep as Aunt March, Tracy Letts as Mr. Dashwood, Chris Cooper as Mr. Laurence,  James Norton as John Brooke, Louis Garrel as Friedrich Bhaer and Jane Houdyshell as Hannah.

     The production design, cinematography, and costume design are impeccable. The film is visually stunning in every way. Certain scenes could be stand alone works of art. Credit Ms. Gerwig and her team for outstanding work getting every detail of the period right. The story itself moves in an odd non-linear way. Using flashbacks continuously throughout the film, the story jumps back and forth through time like a pinball, sometimes making it hard to figure out when particular scenes are actually happening. It also runs a bit long at two hours and fifteen minutes and could have used a bit more trimming around the edges.

                 Once you do get used to the structure and odd pacing, it's a very enjoyable family film, perfect for the holidays. Ms. Ronan is an obvious standout, as she is in all her films, but I also found Ms. Pugh a delight (deserving of more starring roles herself) and of course Ms. Streep, even in a small role is always excellent. This is a "Little Women" for the ages.