Greta Gerwig’s Little Women adaptation has promised the all-too-rare mix of white-hot filmmaker operating at a rare creative peak with note-perfect source material, and now the first reactions sure look like the movie lives up to its insane promise. Fresh off her almost universally beloved Lady Bird, Gerwig is back with another surefire Oscar contender.
Numerous early reactions cite Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh as particularly noteworthy. Long story short, sounds like fans of both the book and of good movies have a lot to be excited about.
Here are a few (spoiler-free, in case you somehow dodged this classic up till now) reactions from the first screenings.
Greta Gerwig's @LittleWomen is wonderful. A loving, meticulously-crafted adaptation that exceeded my expectations. Heartfelt, moving and a terrific showcase for its extremely talented cast and beloved source material. pic.twitter.com/NwcMmnx9Pg
— Kara Warner (@karawarner) October 24, 2019
Greta Gerwig takes the straightforward story of LITTLE WOMEN and boldly scrambles it, starting two-thirds of the way through and retelling most of what you remember via flashbacks and cross-cutting. Call it Louisa May Alcott meets 21 GRAMS.
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) October 24, 2019
Jo's lines in #LittleWomen resonate w me completely differently now as a 33 yr old single writer. Wanting to remain independent but wanting to be loved. Greta's take on the story made me connect w Jo in a way I never had. As a girl, I just thought she was crazy to reject Laurie.
— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) October 24, 2019
Greta Gerwig breathes fresh air into LITTLE WOMEN with a time-jumping story structure that actually works for maximum emotional impact, particularly the rapturous final act. Saoirse Ronan is Queen, with her most layered performance yet. One of the best films of the year! pic.twitter.com/tqKB1oRzBS
— Matt Samet (@MattSametEsq) October 24, 2019
So I've seen Little Women twice now and it's one of my very favorite movies of the year. Greta Gerwig delivers a both passionately faithful and gorgeously original take. Saoirse is a fierce Jo, Chalamet/Dern/Streep esp are great in support, and Florence Pugh is astonishing.
— David Canfield (@davidcanfield97) October 24, 2019
Here’s the trailer one more time, for those who didn’t catch it on the first go-around.
The movie releases in December.
