Critic Reviews
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Todd McCarthy, Variety
An outstanding version of Louisa May Alcott's perennial, one that surpasses even the best previous rendition, George Cukor's 1933 outing starring Katharine Hepburn.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Be prepared, however, for a large beaker of the milk of human kindness.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
Ladies, get out your hand-hemmed handkerchiefs for the loveliest Little Women ever on screen.
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Lucy Mohl, Film.com
Ryder has Gillian Armstrong to shape the surrounding story, etching scenes of the March girls into indelibly lovely images while emphasizing the underlying strength of Louisa Mae Allcott's family tale.
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Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
Director Gillian Armstrong and writer Robin Swicord have fashioned an entrancing film from this distinctly unfashionable classic.
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Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
Meticulously crafted, and warmly acted.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The third version of the classic is better than the second (in 1948) and almost as touching as Cukor's first rendition in 1933, toplining Kathatrine Hepburn.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Director Gillian Armstrong's feminist spin on classic material retains the moving humanity of Louisa May Alcott's novel while reworking it with welcome freshness.
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Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
A little sappy.
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Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Devoted and lovely retelling of the classic story.
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Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Despite good casting, interesting sets and costumes and Armstrong's good direction, the viewers still might feel somewhat cheated -- instead of an interesting period piece they received ordinary melodrama.
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Vibrant and appealing screen interpretation of Louis May Alcott's classic story about family as an evolving energy field of love.
Read all 12 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Yet another version of the classic novel. I loved the cast, and of course the story is timeless, so it's a good movie. The only problem is that if you've seen the other little women movies, it's just the same story again. Anyway, it's good movie.
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Little women are about 4 women that grew up in the Civil War period.
They were face with hardships like having their father off fighting in the war, being poor and being teenaged. When a new boy moves in next door the girl's world turns up side town. Over time they had to learn… More
Little women are about 4 women that grew up in the Civil War period.
They were face with hardships like having their father off fighting in the war, being poor and being teenaged. When a new boy moves in next door the girl's world turns up side town. Over time they had to learn ho to deal with news things of growing up like falling in love and that they cannot live together under their parents house forever.
Pros
Good acting and plot.
It had good music in this film.
This film is really moving.
Con it can be slow some times
If you like coming age films, click flicks or really moving films, you should give this a try.
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Yum, spitwad between Jo and Laurie.
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Terrible movie. The dialog is horrible and it makes you want to drill yourself in the ears. The only thing that made this movie somewhat bearable to watch was Christian Bale, he was the only one able to pull off his role. It's got this secret feminist propaganda going on which is… More
Terrible movie. The dialog is horrible and it makes you want to drill yourself in the ears. The only thing that made this movie somewhat bearable to watch was Christian Bale, he was the only one able to pull off his role. It's got this secret feminist propaganda going on which is so redundant and boring. We get it, women are strong too, too bad I already knew it coming in. Just don't see it, trust me. It's not worth it.
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This was an excellant movie. Great acting by Wiona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Eric Stoltz, Kirsten Dunst, & Christian Bale. Just a really good movie. :)
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Great adaptation of the novel. Great cast. Four sisters grow up together in post-Civil War. It is very much like Pride and Prejudice where the women try to find suitors.
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Four sisters growing up in New England while their father is fighting the Civil War. It is an interesting period. I'm not sure if it would be easier or more difficult to grow up in the 1860's vs now. Winona Ryder plays her role well, just falling short of winning an… More
Four sisters growing up in New England while their father is fighting the Civil War. It is an interesting period. I'm not sure if it would be easier or more difficult to grow up in the 1860's vs now. Winona Ryder plays her role well, just falling short of winning an Academy award.
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I haven't seen this in about 10 years, but there are 2 things from Little Women I will never forget. 1) The Deer in the Headlights look Claire Danes had after she got sick. 2) That big stream of saliva between Winona Ryder and Christian Bale's mouths after he kisses her. It… More
I haven't seen this in about 10 years, but there are 2 things from Little Women I will never forget. 1) The Deer in the Headlights look Claire Danes had after she got sick. 2) That big stream of saliva between Winona Ryder and Christian Bale's mouths after he kisses her. It was okay and everything, but I never got past that saliva...
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The most glorious and passionate adaptation of the timeless tale. Winona Ryder makes a wonderful performance as one of four 'little women' in this classic film.
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The literary classic Little Women is adapted again for a modern audience in this wonderful coming of age film. The story follows the March sisters as they struggle to cope with the absence of their father and grow up during the Civil War. The cast is excellent, and includes Winona… More
The literary classic Little Women is adapted again for a modern audience in this wonderful coming of age film. The story follows the March sisters as they struggle to cope with the absence of their father and grow up during the Civil War. The cast is excellent, and includes Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and Susan Sarandon; who all deliver great performances. The costumes and set designs are also exceptionally well done. Yet, the film does have problems providing enough character development. Though it has some issues, this is an enchanting and compelling cinematic adaptation of Little Women.
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The movie starts with Abigail March (Susan Sarandon) raising four young daughters while her husband is off fighting in the Civil Wars. It is basically about the growing up of the March sisters: spunky Jo (Winona Ryder), the delightful Amy (young - Kirsten Dunst, older - Samantha… More
The movie starts with Abigail March (Susan Sarandon) raising four young daughters while her husband is off fighting in the Civil Wars. It is basically about the growing up of the March sisters: spunky Jo (Winona Ryder), the delightful Amy (young - Kirsten Dunst, older - Samantha Mathis), angelic Beth (Claire Danes) and virtuous Meg (Trini Alvarado). The film follows the girls, as well as their mother as they laugh and bicker through the many situations that come their way.
The male characters are also interesting. They live next door to a wealthy man whose grandson Laurie (a very hot Christian Bale) becomes a suitor to Jo, the independent daughter who wants to become a writer. All events lead to Jo and Laurie becoming an item, but when Laurie proposes, Jo refuses. We get to know Mr. Brooke (Eric Stoltz) who will become very important in Meg's life while Gabriel Byrne plays Friedrich Bhaer who wins Winona Ryder's love during her time in New York.
The cinematography is breathtaking and the performances are pretty good. Winona Ryder, Christian Bale and a young Kirsten Dunst in particular do a very good job as does Susan Sarandon who plays Marmee.
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A good movie with some great performances. It was predictable, but well-made.
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I haven't read the book - no surprise there as Civil War lit not my style - so I had no preconceived notions of these characters, and as such this film version paints a vibrant picture of the lives of four sisters growing up in Concord, Massachusetts and beyond. Like all good… More
I haven't read the book - no surprise there as Civil War lit not my style - so I had no preconceived notions of these characters, and as such this film version paints a vibrant picture of the lives of four sisters growing up in Concord, Massachusetts and beyond. Like all good films based on books, I was inspired to read the Wikipedia entry afterward, and according to what I read not even the dog who walked from Colorado back to his home in Connecticut is as faithful as Gillian Armstrong was to Louisa May Alcott.
Winona Ryder shines as spirited misfit Jo, and what a collection of other future stars: Claire Danes as simple yet sweet Beth, Samantha Mathis as older Amy, Christian Bale (!) does a great turn as family friend Laurie, and a babyfaced 12-year-old Kirsten Dunst showing great promise as younger Amy. Add to that Susan Sarandon, Eric Stoltz (this was made in the '90s so he had to be there), and Gabriel Byrne disarmingly effective as German professor Friedrich, complete opposite of the self-preserving A-hole he played in <i>Miller's Crossing</i> a few years earlier. This, my friends, is an actor.
Outstanding period detail adds to the rich tapestry. Jo is the focal point, but we follow the growth of all the March sisters and how they find their place in a world decades away from taking measures toward granting equality to their gender. This is not at all the schmaltzy sentimental chick flick I was half-expecting but instead filled with endearing characters while springing several surprises along the way. Not quite the masterwork of Ang Lee's <i>Sense & Sensibility</i> but worthy enough to sit at the same table.
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It is beautifully shot, but falls a bit short for me. Kirsten Dunst and Susan Sarandon give strong performances. Claire Danes is pretty good. Christian Bale and Winona Ryder are miscast. I do not like Samantha Mathis or Eric Stolz in their roles either.
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The only thing wrong with this film is Gabriel Byrne and that is saying something! But as he doesn't come in till late on, this film is perfect for most of it. Winona Ryder is spectacular and really gets to the heart of Jo, and Christian Bale plays Laurie with skill and a real… More
The only thing wrong with this film is Gabriel Byrne and that is saying something! But as he doesn't come in till late on, this film is perfect for most of it. Winona Ryder is spectacular and really gets to the heart of Jo, and Christian Bale plays Laurie with skill and a real sense of playfulness. A real depth of understanding of both characters, the book and tone really make this film what it is.
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An estrogen-fueled Civil War movie about a family seems pretty hard to pull off without getting tiring but this does a pretty great job.
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Three cheers for Christian Bale playing Teddy! Woot! And even more cheers for Winona Ryder playing Jo March! WOOOHOOO! Faithful to the novel and even better because Christian Bale is (as usual!) hot hot hot and an excellent actor^^ This is a chick flick, Definitely. And umm yeah.… More
Three cheers for Christian Bale playing Teddy! Woot! And even more cheers for Winona Ryder playing Jo March! WOOOHOOO! Faithful to the novel and even better because Christian Bale is (as usual!) hot hot hot and an excellent actor^^ This is a chick flick, Definitely. And umm yeah. I'll write a better review tomorrow because now i'm falling asleep^^ Lol.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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