Little Women (2019)

 

Little Women - 2019

2019's "Little Women" is the final entry in our installments on Louisa May Alcott's famous novel.  This version tells the story in a disjointed way, preferring different vignettes of the novel instead of a linear storyline.

The film's cast includes Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garrel, Jayne Houdyshell, Chris Cooper, and Meryl Streep.

As you know by now, our story takes place at the March family home in Concord, Massachusetts, where Marmee and her daughters (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) pray for the safe return of their husband and father who has gone off to fight in the US Civil War.

But that is not where our story begins in this adaptation.  Here, we begin with Jo, already living in New York, as she tries to make a name for herself by selling some of the stories she's written.  By this time, she's already made the acquaintance of Professor Friedrich Bhaer, whom she considers her closest friend in New York.

We meet up with Amy, who is traveling in Europe with Aunt March.  She becomes very excited when she recognizes a familiar face: Laurie.

We find Meg as a struggling wife and young mother.  She wants to have fabric for a new gown, but she knows it is far too extravagant a cost for her struggling family to bear.

Left alone at the March home is the third daughter, Beth, who plays for hours and hours at the piano.

As the film progresses, we find ourselves reviewing past scenes from March family life.  We attend the dance with Jo where she first meets Laurie, and he gallantly asks her to dance outside so that the assembled company does not see her scorched gown.

We see the March family take their Christmas breakfast to a needy family in the community.  On their return, they find a bountiful feast provided by a neighbor who witnessed their good deed.

We follow Jo as she works as a companion to Aunt March, their two personalities clashing.  Jo continues the work as she hopes Aunt March will take her to Europe one day.

And we journey with the Marches when they go next door and meet Laurie's grandfather, whom they charm and who offers the use of his piano to Beth.

We rocket back to the present, where one of the major themes of the film is the tempestuous relationship between Amy and Laurie in Europe.

Beth's illness is also visited at different stages.  In this version, Jo takes her to the seaside in an attempt to find a cure for her.

And we're reminded of favorite scenes, including the one where Jo selflessly sells her hair to pay her mother's fare to visit their sick father.  I love the maid Hannah's reaction.  "You look like a boy," she says.  "This isn't what I wanted for her."

Then we're back in Europe, where Aunt March talks with Amy about Laurie.  "That Laurence boy was just here," she says.  "What a disappointment he’s turned out to be.  Must be the Italian in him."

And we journey back to the past when Jo finds out that Aunt March has selected Amy to accompany her to Europe.  After Jo refuses a proposal from Laurie, she finds herself feeling all alone.

Back in Europe, Laurie and Amy's stormy relationship blossoms into love following Beth's death.  The two get married.

Also following Beth's death, we find Jo working on her masterpiece late into the night.

Jo finds out that Aunt March willed her the large house in Concord.  Jo wanders the empty rooms wondering what to do with the cavernous place.  "I should sell it, but I would love to do something that would really make Aunt March turn in her grave.  A nice turning, just a rotation.  Nothing terrible."  She eventually decides to open a school.

Jo gets a surprise when her friend Friedrich comes to visit on his way out west.  Jo persuades him to stay, and the two begin a life together.

We end our film with a dual celebration: the opening of Jo's school at Aunt March's former residence, and the publishing of her book "Little Women".  (In a significant change from other versions, Jo published this one herself instead of Friedrich submitting it without her knowledge.)

Cast rundown:

   Saoirse Ronan.......................Jo March

   Emma Watson.......................Meg March

   Florence Pugh........................Amy March

   Eliza Scanlen.........................Beth March

   Laura Dern............................Marmee March

   Timothee Chalamet................Theodore Laurence

   Bob Odenkirk.........................Mr. March

   James Norton........................John Brooke

   Louis Garrel...........................Friedrich Bhaer

   Jayne Houdyshell...................Hannah

   Chris Cooper..........................Mr. Laurence

   Meryl Streep..........................Aunt March

And that's it for Little Women.  As I said in the intro, this is a very disjointed telling of the story.  We move back and forth between the past and the present with dizzying speed.  In this film, it's also hard to imagine the girls as being different ages.  They all seem to be exactly the same age, which I think takes away from the film.  In this adaptation, Jo is strongly trying to figure out a woman's place in the world.  She bucks and kicks at the system, forging her own path.  However, by the end of the film, she realizes she wants what ever woman she knows wants: someone to share life with.

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