Jeri Jacquin

Now on Digital and coming to Bluray and DVD from writer/director Greta Gerwig and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment based on the beloved novel by Louisa May Alcott comes LITTLE WOMEN.

It is during the Civil War that the March family is trying to do well without their father. Taking care of four daughters is a handful for Marmee (Laura Dern). Daughters Beth (Eliza Scanlen), Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan) and Amy (Florence Pugh) find ways to occupy their lives each with different interests. Also keeping an eye on the family is the opinionated Aunt March (Meryl Streep) and Hannah (Jayne Houdyshell).

Introducing himself into the lively family is Theodore Laurence (Timothee Chalamet) who instantly fits right into the craziness of the March home. His tutor John Brooke (James Norton) has eyes for only one March lady. Laurie and Jo become instant inseparables talking about life and what is ahead. Even Mr. Laurence (Chris Cooper) has taken to the March family feeling all the excitement they bring to his life in the absence of Mr. March (Bob Odenkirk).

It is Jo who has the desire for so much more. Writing and creating for the family’s entertainment has become something she counts on. Her adventures become stories that she gets Mr. Dashwood (Tracy Letts) to print in the paper when she takes the big move to go to New York. Their she meets Friedrich Bhaer (Louis Garrel) who tells Jo only the truth about what she writes.

But it is one poignant moment in her life where she finally puts down the family’s story of love, sisterhood, tragedy, friendship, music, entertainment and relationships that honors the March family. It becomes the book about little women.

Ronan as Jo is the most lively of the March girls with her opinions, thoughts and creativity constantly flowing through their home. Everything Ronan has done in her career and the choices she makes in roles has never let me down. She is stunning in every way and in LITTLE WOMEN she once again proves why she is a treasure to watch. She has a fiery spirit that shines in this role.

Watson as Meg is lovely as I would expect her to be. Meg is unpredictable and yet still endearing and it allows Watson to again grow right in front of our eyes. Scanlen as Beth is bored easily and has a streak that sends Jo almost over the edge. Their constant sisterly-ness is what I’d expect from four sisters under one roof. Pugh as Amy is thoughtful and the mousy sister who everyone adores. Pugh makes it quite easy to feel that watching her performance.

Streep as Aunt March is stubborn, feisty, and doesn’t hesitate to give her opinion whether it is asked for or not. She is more like Jo than any of the March girls but outwardly her decisions always seem to go in unexpected directions. I loved watching Streep do her thing! Dern as Marmee is a mother doing her best during a time none of us could possibly imagine. Being the glue of the family is hard enough, the glue of four very impetuous daughters is heroic in its own way. Houdyshell as Hannah is a woman quietly in the background making sure the March family stays in her line of view as a protector.

Now for the men! Chalamet as Laurie is a young man who finds something enticing about being part of the March family. They accept him instantly and Chalamet role is sweet and at times given to a twinge of sadness. Cooper as Mr. Laurence also becomes instantly attached to the March family, especially a certain young March with talent for piano. Odenkirk has a small role as Mr. March but doesn’t need to be on screen for his name to be constantly mentioned.

Letts as Mr. Dashwood sees something in what Jo puts on paper but he has no idea what will be coming. He challenges Jo in a way to reach for more but isn’t ready for what he gets. Garrell as Frederich tells Jo what she doesn’t want to hear yet she receives it hard headedly. In a world where women are pushing so hard for ever step forward, Garrell reminds Jo that to do so means accepting criticism and changing someone’s perspective. Norton as Brooke is a tutor who also becomes involved in the March family life. Again, he loves them all but one inparticular.

Bluray, DVD and Digital Bonus Materials include A New Generation of Little Women, Making a Modern Classic, Greta Gerwig: Women Making Art, Hair & Make-up Test Sequence, LITTLE WOMEN Behind the Scenes and Orchard House, Home of Louisa May Alcott.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

LITTLE WOMEN has always been a beloved classic and there is no doubt about that. In this telling there is a little more of the life loving Jo with her need to make sure life is on her terms. Then it is life that lets her know they can co-exist as long as she is willing to bend from time to time with the unexpected events that shape things a little differently.

This is a film that is clearly about women in the forefront of the telling. Each of the women, including housemother Hannah, have a part to play in each other’s lives through the good and the not so good. The March women clearly have different personalities and different points of view which make the film even more entertaining to watch. The clashes and the misunderstandings are expected but their resolutions are filled with love and hope.

In the end – own your story!

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