Little Women: 2019 Movie Thoughts

Have you seen the new Little Women movie yet? I was so nervous to see it and put it off for about two weeks, but then curiousty won out and I had to watch it! I love the 1994 version of the movie and the story itself holds a lot of memories for me. 

I remember being relatively young, maybe 10 or 11, when my mom showed me Little Women for the first time. Like any other bookworm, I was immediately infatuated with Jo. I wanted to be her. I loved how free she was and how strong. Being a Jo seemed like the highest complement. But when I really thought about it…I’m an Amy March. 

I loved Greta Gerwig’s version of Little Women because not only was it visually stunning, it allowed all the characters to be multidimensional. I LOVE Susan Sarandon as Marmee in the ’94. She is steadfast and strong, a true beacon of womanhood. I’m glad I had her as a role model growing up. But it was truly wonderful to see Laura Dern’s take on the character and how much more raw and free she allowed Marmee to be. Seeing her frustrations, anger, sadness on top of her steadfast nature was brilliant. 

But overall, I thought this version was justice for Amy March. She wasn’t just the vain, annoying little sister who “stole Laurie” from Jo. We saw how similar Jo and Amy are, bookends of sisterhood and competitiveness. I also loved the meta ending and how warm and wonderful the relationship between Beth and Mr. Lawrence was. 

All this to say, if you’re a fan of the 1994 version (Winona Rider’s Jo will always reign supreme), I think you’ll enjoy this version too. It’s wonderful to see Orchard House on the screen again. I thought I’d be comparing them constantly, but I truly just took it in because it is such a beloved story. 

If you’re interested in the relationship between Amy and Jo, there’s a great book called The Other Alcott that explores the life of the real Amy, May Alcott, Louisa’s sister. 

Did you know that May did the original illustrations? She was a artist, just like Amy. I highly recommend it. 

Image sourced from Google Images.