Little Women (1994)

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

An action-packed slog

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Viewers expecting a faithful adaptation of Louisa M. Alcott's novel are likely to be disappointed. However Gillian Armstrong's film is a charming piece - beautifully photographed with a strong sense of seasonal change and how the March family react to such changes. The lighting - both natural and artificial - is soft yet atmospheric, the use of music unobtrusive yet significant. Yet Armstrong does not want to produce a heritage film, prompting viewers to admire the historically accurate sets and costumes; on the contrary, her approach remains strongly character-focused, with the attention paid to nuances of performances. Winona Ryder gives perhaps the best performance of her entire career as Jo; her command of gesture and facial expression is impeccable, especially at those moments of extreme disappointment (for example, when she is told that her first book manuscript is actually no good). A young Kirsten Dunst is both childlike yet mature as Amy; someone who wants to act grown-up yet yearns for her father to be around. Susan Sarandon turns in a winning performance as the matriarch of the family; someone who is incredibly fond of her offspring, yet well aware of their individual faults. The ending might be sentimental, but Armstrong is nonetheless well aware of the economic hardships experienced by the March family as they struggle to survive while their father is away fighting. Definitely one of the best classic adaptations to appear during the Nineties.

This movie, which I watch every Christmas, is a wonderful movie in so many ways and for so many reasons. The aesthetic qualities are very appealing: the snow in Civil War-time Concord, Massachusetts was very beautiful, as is the grass in the spring time. As for the acting, the cast was superb. Susan Sarandon, who could act well the part of a rough southern girl, adapted herself well to this part of a proper New England lady who meets well the challenge of raising her four daughters (the "little women"). While you hated Christian Bale in "Shaft", he made a very positive impression in this movie as Teddy. Mary Wickes was convincingly crabby as Aunt March, and you felt for Claire Danes as the fragile Beth. Winona Ryder was excellent as the beautiful and high-spirited Jo. The story was a portmanteau: there were three different love affairs which were resolved at the end of the movie. The final scene was very touching. All in all, it was a superb production which was magnetic: again, I'm drawn to it every Christmas, though it is good entertainment for any time of the year. Definitely a favorite of mine.

"Little Women" has always been a favorite book of mine. I think I've seen every film adaptation at least once. I can't resist costume dramas. All that having been said, is it any surprise that I love this movie? I enjoyed this movie more than all the other adaptations. It has depth that the others lack. It does not play the novel out scene by scene or have the cast reciting big chunks of the book itself. You are drawn into the very lively world of young women as the grow up. You cheer for them, and cry with them.All the characters are very well played. Here, the biggest, and best surprise is how fully realized male characters are. Laurie gets his due as a fifth lead, and John Brook steps out of the background to become someone the audience really likes.This film works as well as a film as it does as a story. Everything looks beautiful, and the music is great.

I love rewatching things after not seeing them in a long time and just falling in love with it all over again. And that's what happened here with Little Women. I was a young girl myself when it came out in theaters and I enjoyed it then, though honestly I don't recall if I had ever read the book before then. I don't have any sisters so I don't know the true relationship between sisters but I imagine it's a lot like brothers and I have three of them so I could relate in many ways to the relationships between the four of them. I think that Jo and Laurie would have made a great couple, but Jo was right. Laurie needed someone more like Amy than herself. Jo and Laurie were too much alike. The combination of Laurie and Amy matched together similar to Jo and Fredrick.Amy was calm and Laurie outgoing and Fredrick was calm and Jo outgoing. I can't think of anyone I know who has seen this movie and not cried when Beth passes away. A scene that sticks in your mind even days after watching it. Cuddle up in a blanket with your popcorn and enjoy this wonderful film.