Little Women 2019

     In the years of the Civil War, Jo March lives with her mother Marmee (Abigail May) and her sisters Meg, Amy and Beth in Massachusetts.  Jo wants to be a writer and her sister Amy studies painting.  Amy is the youngest of the sisters and she can be selfish and materialistic.  Meg got scarlet fever from a poor family that the March’s were helping.  She almost died, she is the oldest sister and possibly the prettiest.  She is prim and proper in her behavior.  Beth March also got scarlet fever from an infant with the fever and she died later because of complications.  Their father Robert March is hurt in the war but he comes home and the family treats his injuries.  Originally, the Marches used to have money but something happened between Mr. March and a friend and the family became poor? 

    
     I almost gave up watching this film because it is long and there are so many tragedies!!  
This version is well done except for the length and the countryside scenes are very beautiful.  The story is a tribute to sisterhood, generosity, a creative spirit and the importance of community.  There are some sad and tense moments.  Meg falls through ice when she is ice skating.  Another sister becomes sick and she dies.  Their father Mr. March is injured during the War.  Some characters drink and some minor or background characters smoke.  The March sisters demonstrate the core values they have been taught by their parents.  4 1/2* (I liked this movie)    
 
135 min, Drama directed and written by Greta Gerwig, Louisa May Alcott with Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garell, Jayne Houdyshell, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep, Rafael Silva, Mason Alban.

Note:  Imdb 7.8* out of 10* with 125,434 reviews,  Rotten Tomatoes 95% with 407 critics 92% with 18,197 audience scores, Roger Ebert 4* Tomris Laffly, Common Sense Media, Sandie Angulo Chen 5*, positive 4*, role models 4* 2* violence, 2* sex, 1* language, 2*, The Guardian 5* Peter Bradshaw, empireonline.com 5* Helen O’Hara, Metacritic 91 out of 100 with 47 critics (positive 53 mixed 4 negative 0) 7.6 out of 10 with 410 ratings (310 positive 52 mixed 48 negative). 

Special Note:  Filmed in Sacramento California.  Greta Gerwig, the director, lives in Sacramento.  She also filmed her award winning Lady Bird in Sacramento.  The novel was originally published in two parts in 1868 and 1869.