40
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comFor devotees, the essence of the Little Women story remains, and, for newcomers, it is a sweet film that should inspire them to explore the book and the more traditional adaptations. It has a sad loss, a joyful reunion, a love story, a writer finding her voice, and one of the most endearing families in literature.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckUnfortunately, the updating does the venerable story few favors, and the lack of star wattage makes this Little Women a dull affair.
- 50The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldThe Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldHappy anniversary, Little Women, but I think I prefer you back in the 19th century; dreamy professors aside.
- 50Chicago TribuneKatie WalshChicago TribuneKatie WalshThis Little Women adaptation is faithful to a fault, which results in a very strange world where this group of five present-day women depends on men for their social lives and careers — basically anything that gets them out of their cozy house of feminine fantasy.
- 50New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartFirst-time feature director Clare Niederpruem gives it her very earnest all, but falls short both on continuity issues (a smoldering curling iron, for example, is dropped to the floor and immediately forgotten) and on making her gradually aging cast match up.
- 42IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandWhile there’s certainly room to explore Alcott’s biggest themes in the lives of modern women, here the results feel more hammy than revelatory.
- 30Austin ChronicleSteve DavisAustin ChronicleSteve DavisA serviceable cast of unfamiliar actors (the exception: Thompson as the family matriarch, Marmee); a serviceable script that takes few if any chances, with occasional wordless montages of shiny happy people; and serviceable direction that gets the job done and nothing more.
- 30TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanTheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanThis version seems to have been made not to honor Alcott’s little women but instead to please the parents who want blandly wholesome family entertainment for their own. One can only imagine what Jo herself would have to say on the subject.
- 30Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshThis adaptation completely bungles the update.