Little Women

Did not find it to be a modernize version of LMAs novel at all!!!

Oh my gosh. I thought this movie would never end. I just could not make myself care about any of the characters in this movie except maybe the father of the girls. The character Jo was so irritating that I don't see how she could have ever made a friend, and certainly not with the professor. I would not want to spend more than five minutes with her. The movie's moving from past to present was hard to follow because with the exception of one character, the actors always looked the same age. I couldn't find any of the romantic match-ups believable, nor could I find the relationships among the sisters as touching as I was supposed to. Nothing about the story, the characters, or the relationships seemed authentic.

Perfectly enjoyable modern take on Little Women. I really liked the choices made to modernize the story. Some examples: Beth dying of cancer and Jo shaving her head for solidarity. Professor Bhaer being Jo's supportive(and very attractive) but critical professor at college. Father home from Iraq. I loved his relationship with his wife (the always appealing and talented Lea Thompson) and his girls. Straitlaced Meg going a little crazy and getting drunk and making out (briefly) at a party. Jo being an aspiring fantasy YA writer. Devotees of the original Little Woman will immediately be able to compare these with similar plot points in the original. The two thing that bothered me was A) the casting of Laurie. The actor did not look the part, though I did love the way they updated the character. The major problem (B) was the character of Jo. She was spoiled, arrogant, petulant, and immature throughout. She was a real drama queen and made even more irritating by the hammy acting on the part of the actress. She was also rather stupid. Had the character been better written, i would have given this a 7 or 8.

My favorite character has always been Jo. However, the actress who played Jo in this rendition was so over the top dramatic she ruined the movie. Why didn't the director get her to dial it back? Instead of spirited and passionate this actress made her manic and mean spirited.

I love the story of little women and have enjoyed other movie versions of this story. This version just doesn't cut it. I am sure she is a fine actress but Sarah Davenport who plays Jo is absolutely unlikeable. I found the movie contrived, overacted and to be honest hard to watch. I see there is a new version in a year with Meryl Streep and others.....so we shall see. Skip this version.