In the years before school stress crushed my wide-eyed view of the world, I read a book. Our whole class would sit in a circle on the carpet in the reading nook and - at least twice a week - would read a chapter or more of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. To say this story shaped my childhood would be an understatement. Alcott's story has stuck with me thus far in my life, and Little Women has been a book I have frequently looked back to for inspiration in my own affairs.
So, when I heard Greta Gerwig's Little Women would be gracing theaters with an all-star cast of actors such as Laura Dern, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Meryl Streep, and Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, and more, I knew I had to go see it. With that being said, I assembled The Girls (Averi, Jordan, and myself) and we watched the movie. Of course, we can't forget the drama that ensued when we found our seats stolen by two women who 1) didn't even know where they were sitting and 2) didn't have tickets. Averi was an icon and got our seats back, despite having crutches and being two days (!!) post-op for her wisdom teeth removal. I mean, what else can I say. A true woman of her time.
We all absolutely fell in love with this movie. While I can't speak on their thoughts, I can speak on mine. This movie is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations I have ever seen. Not only that, but I've heard it is the best adaptation of Little Women thus far (I haven't seen the others). The actors did a stellar job and many of them were nominated for awards for their work. One thing that stuck out to me is the characterization of Amy March. For those of us who have read the book, most despise Amy. Some could even argue she is up there with some of the most hated characters in a fictional series, period. Readers view Amy as entitled, selfish, and a girl who gets everything handed to her on a platter. In Gerwig's adaptation, Amy grows throughout the plot and blossoms into an emotionally mature (and also life-hardened) woman. Gerwig's version paints Amy in a light that doesn't dismiss her possible disliked qualities and lifts the character up. The book and its previous adaptations have all been biased towards Jo, whilst this version gets a clear view of each of the four girls, and lets the audience form their own opinions about every character.
Also, we can't forget Florence's Oscar worthy Economic Proposition monologue. I'll link it here:
Economic Proposition
While this review does sound biased to Amy, just know that I have felt that she has been misunderstood for the last century. I mean, the amount of people willing to viciously hate on a twelve year-old girl is both ridiculous and appalling. I myself view myself more as a Meg, and this movie affirmed that for me. While I believe everyone is a mix of all four girls, I would say many people lean more towards one than the rest. I would even say I'm a mix of Meg and Amy the most.
Anyway, see this movie!
fantastic!!
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