Little Women review

[Westside Steve]

Little Women
Sony
PG                  135 min

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is doubtless one of America’s most endearing pieces of literature. I’d also be surprised if any male member of our audience has ever read it without being required to an English class. I would also wager that only a tiny fraction her movie gores in attendance of this film our members of the masculine gender. At the showing I attended beside myself there was only one non female and he was apparently escorting his grandmother. God bless him. Frankly I don’t think I’d have gone to see it had it not been for the Oscar nomination and that would have been a mistake.
Having never read the book I’m going to surmise that this film is both a telling of the story on the pages and some background information on the trials and tribulations Ms Alcott experienced on her way to creating her most famous work. 
I’m guessing that the part which is based on the book is the series of stories of interactions among four young daughters their mother dealing with everyday life while father is away at War. And make no mistake the 19th century was certainly not a place where women were expected to thrive regardless of their talents. Each of the sisters had her own gifts but the tale is told, autobiographically, through the eyes of the budding writer Jo. Still none of the tales seem particularly maudlin nor any of the male characters mean or indecent. On the contrary most of the older men especially the wealthy neighbor is kind and benevolent. The younger men who slip in and out the affections of the sisters are all sensitive and mostly resembled the Jonas Brothers. The sets and scenery are something one might expect from a Currier and Ives painting or a Hallmark Christmas special. But like I said it is the epitome of a chick flick and for at least the first third I founded overly cloying and dull.  But eventually the film did grow on me especially as the ending brought insight as to why the book ended the way it did, assuming that wasn’t made up for the film.
At any rate I’m not sure it’s worthy of a best picture nomination but there have certainly been worse in recent years. And if you’re looking for somewhere to take Grandma this would be a good choice.
B
WSS