Little Women: Greta Gerwig’s Snappy Telling of Classic Story Makes the Case for a Remake

By Thom Ernst

Rating: A

The enthusiasm for the release of yet another film version of Little Women left me at odds. On one hand, Hurrah! There is still an appetite for classic storytelling. On the other hand, Really? After six kicks at the can, we’re doing this again? If the story hasn’t been sufficiently told after six attempts, then perhaps it’s time to tell a different story. (Some will argue that there are seven filmed adaptations before now, but my math calculates only six).

And then I was plagued by a nagging sense of inconsistency. Is this century-old story about young women coming of age in an era when women were defined by how they marry really the story we want to tell now? It seemed as ill-fated a decision as attempting to stage an all-singing/all-dancing musical about cats except that the cats are human.

But I was at a disadvantage having not read Louisa May Alcott’s book, nor having seen any of the multiple film adaptations that followed. My understanding of Little Women was limited to whatever low-hanging references were made available—I could recognize the names of two of its main characters (Jo and Beth) and I was aware of at least one of the story’s major plot twists (although, to be fair, the twist plays out differently than I thought).

And, with a nod to The Simpsons (that harbinger of pop-culture knowledge), I knew the story was enough to make a grown man cry thanks to a teary-eyed bartender named Moe. Everything else I thought I knew about Little Women was based on the assumption that its author would not have had the luxury to pen a story that could be overly critical, or even to have questioned at any length, the role woman had in 1868 when the first volume of the book published.

But then comes the kicker: This latest version is directed by Greta Gerwig, a name more impressive to the project than even its stellar cast that includes Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, and Meryl Streep. In the case of those appalled at the lack of award-nominated directors who are women, Gerwig is their strongest argument.

Having Gerwig attached to the piece is the game-changer needed if the film hopes to resonate with a more socially aware audience. Gerwig’s sensibilities, which she so aptly displayed when directing Lady Bird (2017), lands in the arena of assured awkwardness—a kind of grace-under-fire if grace were to suddenly start firing back. If Little Women comes uncomfortably close to championing a notion that self-worth can only be recognized in the eyes of another (in this case, a man) then there are few better than Gerwig to rein in such sentiments.

But surely updating a tale to make it easier for contemporary consumption risks compromising its source material. You can’t have it both ways—or can you? Turns out, you can. But for me to reveal how Gerwig manages to work around the story’s perceived problems while working with them would be giving too much away. It’s enough to know that Gerwig directs romance in a similar way that Tarantino directs violence. The romance—like Tarantino’s violence—comes in large sweeping gestures turning in on itself before pulling out again. It’s all so authentically cinematic that some of it seem surreal.

The multi-storyline involving the coming-of-age of four sisters, Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy, during the turn of the century New England, is less problematic than I expected. I credit much of this to Gerwig’s direction, and to no small effort of the cast. Ronan’s Jo is a woman of plausible contradictions, a woman of her time moving ahead of her time. Jo garners most of the screen time, and there’s a sense that this is her story we are watching. Though her sisters’ stories might be truncated (and I gather readers who love the book have their favourite) they don’t suffer under Jo’s shadow. 

And so, it seems, Gerwig is making sure we all receive at least one gift this Christmas. Quite simply put, Gerwig’s Little Women is a story well told.

Little Women. Directed by Greta Gerwig. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Fiona Plugh, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, and Meryl Streep. Opens wide December 25.