Adaptations of movies are often hard. Unpredictable. Why mess with a good thing? Especially when it’s a classic. Little Women (2019) is writer/director Greta Gerwig’s take on the story behind the March sisters. She offers her own perspective on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, led by the the story’s protagonist, Jo March. While there have been many different variations of Little Women, I’m going to jump right in and tell you THIS is the one you need to see. I never jump right into a movie review telling you just how much I enjoyed a film, but this story was truly exceptional.
LITTLE WOMEN MOVIE REVIEW
As I said, this is the story of four remarkable sisters. Each bring something different to the table, yet they all have one thing in common. They are determined to live life on their own terms. Although we watch each of the sisters’ stories unfold, Little Women focuses predominantly on Jo March. Jo reflects to past and present time throughout the movie. You can’t help but admire Jo’s character. She is witty and strong-willed, and she continuously challenges cultural norms. Although Meg is the oldest March sister, I thought Jo portrayed that older sister role more so.
Little Women celebrates the bond and strength of sisterhood.
What I most appreciated about this movie was that although these four women are all very different, they have this unbreakable bond. They celebrate the power of sisterhood. No matter their differences, at the end of the day, they are there for one another.
The quotes in Little Women are beyond measure. I couldn’t write fast enough in the theater. I literally took pages of notes, mostly quotes! Some of these lines are funny, some powerful, and others emotional. Some are downright shocking…until you remember the time period of this film. Women were expected to get married and have a family. The March girls challenge those typical standards. Here are some of the best quotes in Little Women.
Most Memorable Quotes from Little Women
“If the main character’s a girl, make sure she’s married by the end. Or dead. Either way,” – Mr. Dashwood
“You should not go home until you are properly engaged.” – Aunt March
“I can’t get over my disappointment of being a girl.” – Jo
“I’d be respected if I couldn’t be loved.” – Amy
“No one will forget Jo March.” -Jo
“No one makes their own way. Not really. At least not women.” – Aunt March
“It’s possible to be right and foolish.” – Aunt March
“Don’t let the sun go down upon your anger. Ever.” – Marmee
“I’m not patient by nature, but with nearly forty years of effort I have learned to not let it get the better of me.” – Marmee
“Girls have to go into the world and make up their own mind about things.” – Marmee
“What women are allowed to be geniuses anyway?” Laurie
“I believe we have some power in who we love.” – Amy
“Don’t sit there and tell me marriage isn’t an economic proposition, because it most certainly is. It may not be for you, but it is for me.” – Amy
“It’s like the tide going out. It goes out slowly, but it can’t be stopped.” – Beth
“I may not always be right, but I am never wrong.” Aunt March
“I love my liberty too well to be in any hurry to give it up.” – Jo
“I’m so sick of people saying love is just all a women is fit for.” – Jo
“Writing doesn’t confer importance, it reflects it.” – Jo
About Little Women
Writer-director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) has crafted a Little Women that draws on both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott, and unfolds as the author’s alter ego, Jo March, reflects back and forth on her fictional life. In Gerwig’s take, the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women each determined to live life on her own terms — is both timeless and timely. Portraying Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, with Timothée Chalamet as their neighbor Laurie, Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.
I hope you enjoyed this Little Women movie review. Have you seen Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the literary classic? What are your thoughts?
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