Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Saoirse Ronan | ... | Jo March | |
Emma Watson | ... | Meg March | |
Timothée Chalamet | ... | Theodore 'Laurie' Laurence | |
Florence Pugh | ... | Amy March | |
Eliza Scanlen | ... | Beth March | |
Laura Dern | ... | Marmee March | |
Tracy Letts | ... | Mr. Dashwood | |
Bob Odenkirk | ... | Mr. March | |
James Norton | ... | John Brooke | |
Louis Garrel | ... | Friedrich Bhaer | |
Chris Cooper | ... | Mr. Laurence | |
Jayne Houdyshell | ... | Hannah | |
Meryl Streep | ... | Aunt March | |
Mason Alban | ... | Friedrich's Friend | |
Rafael Silva | ... | Friedrich's Friend |
Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Suffice it to say that this film is destined to be a perennial, like ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE or MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET. The stand-out performance is Laura Dern's. As Jo, Saoirse Ronan is more the glue holding the narrative together, generously supporting all the others. Even the things worthy of criticism enhance the entertainment value. The poverty of the wartime March family--indeed the entire Civil War aspect of the story-- is played down. Costumes and interiors are affluent, bordering on Gilded Age. Like many other period films, there are far too many candles and oil lamps lit in the daytime with sun streaming in the windows. This is LITTLE WOMEN seen through the prism of contemporary gender politics, and that is okay by me!