A Little Women's Christmas

After reading some of the other reviews, I didn't know whether to expect the greatest movie ever, or the worst.

Well of course it was neither.

I never read the Alcott books, or any of the other "chick" stories, but I am familiar with some of them. People have been making movies loosely based on them forever.

They put in things they think are clever (Alcott Grove, a waitress named Louisa May) that really just make it irritating.

This movie is a modern retelling, and while not a significant achievement in film, is not as bad as some of the reviews I've read.

I agree there could have been a stronger lead, but I haven't seen Trevor Donovan even mentioned, and he was very good.

The whole four sisters thing was overdone, and they didn't really look or feel like sisters. They basically had four lead actresses jockeying for position. That never works.

I do like the GAC is making a concerted effort to include the Lord in all the movies I've seen this year.

I thought this movie was fine. To me that's good enough.

Seven.

I honestly thought I was watching a high school play. It looked and felt low budget. Jen Lilley as Meg and Laura Osnes as Beth were great but should never be in minor support roles. Jillian Murray was not strong enough to play the lead as Jo. The characters of Amy and Laurie were just space fillers and poorly cast. The casting choices and writing, both dialog and plot lines, were subpar. The entire movie was uncomfortably bad. The one minute of decent airtime was Gladys Knight singing. That was it.

Within the first fifteen minutes it was obvious that the movie was not going to be worthy of a second watch. I stuck it out hoping it would improve. Sadly, it did not.

A much loved story and promising lineup but fell short of expectations. Not enough substance. Scenes were too short and changed too quickly so Jen and Jesse left me wanting more. In my opinion, Laura Osnes should have been Jo. Hers and Trevor's character rang the truest and I'd have loved to have seen her as Jo. I also enjoyed Tanya's character. I've seen some movies with Jillian and I'm sorry to say, the stories change but she's always the same... Some of the other cast members were so stiff I just couldn't believe the story. They were literally performing for the camera. It would be so great to see some of the more seasoned members of the network give this a try, perhaps with a little more of the original story left in it, maybe a series focusing on each separate sister within the family.

Faith based movies are great when the viewer isn't bombarded with stiff smiles and so much teeth and "niceness" that is so far removed from reality it's not believable. I know these types of movies are made to make the viewer feel good but we need believable characters and story lines that grip. It is possible. I'm also disappointed with the Christmas decorations throughout the movie...it was barely noticeable.

Really? They have Jen Lilley and Jesse Hutch but didn't put them in lead roles? Jillian Murray is too weak an actress for a lead. She was boring in the lead and her low cut dress at church was inappropriate for a GAC movie. The movie had good bones but was pretty boring and needed a meatier script with more humorous lines.

As far as the Little Women theme, it fell flat. The relationships between the characters was weak. Laurie and Jo have a history that was not at all apparent. I did love Gladys Night and the other singers at the church though. I feel I wasted 2 hours of my life. I love GAC and I'm praying for better scripts!

The elements that make this a "retelling" are the girls' names. The Lorrie romance, and the sisters' creativity. But that's a low bar; a true retelling would capture the essence of the original, including themes of sacrifice, giving when you have little to give (the modern family is insanely well-off by almost all Americans' standards), and a sense of responsibility to community that pulls people together through shared hardship. Attending a church service hardly does that.

Did the creators of the movie think an Army captain fits that bill? Instead of learning an actual truth (the Army doesn't care if you miss your family), Daisy learns a fantasy that if a soldier tells God he wants to go home, God will grant his wish. What about the enlisted guys Captain Daddy left behind? As a former Army Officer's wife, I can recall being pre-empted on Christmas for lonely soldiers my ex-husband had to inspire morale into.

This channel needs to get its writers and producers out of Beverly Hills and talk to some regular people. L. M. Alcott's original is so much more relatable than this misguided production.

Still, it filled some of a night for us.