RT
Metacritic
Surprise, they're super positive. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet and Laura Dern, opening on Christmas Day.
The Hollywood Reporter said:Gerwig foregoes fussy directorial flourishes, instead shepherding an elegant film in the classical mold, often with a painterly look. It's also pleasingly paced through its two-and-a-quarter-hour run time, with nimble camerawork and editing that suggest the vigor of youth and the urgent sense of discovery that comes with young adulthood. Alexandre Desplat's lush score is laid on a little thick, but even that seems appropriate for a story whose sentiments are always grounded in genuine emotion. Gerwig has taken a treasured perennial of popular American literature and reshaped it for a new generation, which should give the captivating film a long shelf life.
Indiewire said:Over 150 years since Louisa May Alcott's beloved "Little Women" was first published, filmmaker Greta Gerwig's sophomore effort makes the case that it's as relevant as ever. Despite those lofty goals, the "Lady Bird" director doesn't get heavy-handed or preachy in her affectionate look at the March sisters, who were always styled as very different versions of evolving womanhood, even way back in the mid-19th century. Instead, Gerwig's adaptation looks at the eponymous little women through ambitious storytelling techniques that modernize the book's timeless story in unexpected ways.
However, fans of the original novel (and the first-rate 1994 Gillian Armstrong adaptation of Alcott's book) shouldn't fret over the contemporary implications of Gerwig's film. While it's consumed with questions of ambition, economics, and a woman's place in the world, "Little Women" is clearly the work of someone steeped in affection for the original, and keenly aware of how the concerns of Alcott and the March sisters (loosely based on the author's own family) have never quite abated, no matter the time. In short: it's the same "Little Women" that has endured for centuries, given new life with an original narrative conceit, and a level of craftsmanship that's nothing short of stunning.
Empire said:Gerwig saves her most impressive narrative flourish for the very end, with a finale that would absolutely delight Louisa May Alcott. It's a decision that will leave you thinking far more deeply than any other version of this story has managed, and one that instantly makes this the definitive big-screen Little Women.
The Guardian said:There's nothing little about Greta Gerwig's rich, warm, bustlingly populated and passionately devoted new tribute to Louisa May Alcott's classic novel of sisterhood. She revives Little Women as a coming-of-age movie, a marriage comedy, a sibling-rivalry drama – and perhaps most interestingly of all, an autofictional manifesto for writing your own life.
The A.V. Club said:Little Women is the best kind of Hollywood film: thoughtful yet escapist, sophisticated yet accessible, expertly crafted and deeply felt. The performances are all top notch—Ronan and Pugh, especially, breathe new life into their characters. Gerwig's direction is also first rate, using symbolism and composition to reinforce the emotional arcs of the material. The film tweaks the structure of a well-known and beloved story and modernizes it with light meta touches, all while staying true to its old-fashioned belief in the virtues of kindness and selflessness. It's a living, breathing, vibrant work of art, one that's as bittersweet as life itself.
I sense Oscar noms galore.
