Tuesday, March 3, 2020

1994 v. 2019 Little Women

Growing up I absolutely loved little women; I had all the Little Women Madame alexander dolls, read the book, watched the movie an unhealthy number of times {if there is such a thing}, and even had an out fit that looked like Amy’s, who was obviously my favorite. 

When rumors of a new Little Women movie being released I was ecstatic; I think the 2019 version is like the fourth Little Women movie that has been made and they have been so fabulously done, each in their own rights. 
I feel confident in say that everyone probably has their own favorite version of Little Women. Earlier this year we took my grandmother to see the new one for her birthday {her favorite version is the one that features Elizabeth Taylor}. Maybe it was because of all the hype that was surrounding the movie, but the new Little Women in all honesty didn’t live up to my expectation of what it should have been. 

The 1994 Little Women although it covered the same topics as the 2019 version and had the same storyline, it was lighter and made you feel happier, and I am sorry, but the 1994 version casting was done leaps and bound better. I thought Emma Watson as Meg and Saoirse Ronan were spot on, but the casting of Beth and Amy just seemed a little off… In the 1994 version Clair Danes was the perfect age to play the character of Beth and I loved how they switched out the child version of Amy for the Adult version of Amy halfway through the movie. In the 2019 version, the actress who played Beth just seemed too old to be holding a doll and trying to portray a certain personality type of a young girl and then when the actress playing Amy tried to revert back to ‘child Amy’ it just came across as annoying to me instead of childlike. 

Maybe it’s not the popular opinion and maybe it’s because I grew up in the 90’s and nostalgia is always such a warm feeling, but I just prefer the 90’s version. Am I alone in this opinion? And don’t get me wrong I love both version, but I was a little disappointed when it came to some aspects of the new movie. 

However, both are extremely well done and you have to give credit where credit is due… I think the writers and directors of the 2019 version were so smart to not try and make something that had already been done, but instead took a different take on how to tell the story of the March Girls. 

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