Little Women is a coming-of-age period drama written and directed by Greta Gerwig. It is the seventh film adaptation of the 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. This is a good version of Little Women but not the best version I’ve seen.
It’s 1868, Little Women introduces Josephine “Jo” March (Saoirse Ronan) who is a teacher and a writer living in New York. She meets with an editor, Mr. Dashwood (Tracy Letts) and gets her story published subject to considerable editing. Jo’s sister Amy (Florence Pugh), is in Paris with their Aunt March (Meryl Streep). While in transit Amy runs into her very good childhood friend, Theodore “Laurie” Laurence (Timothée Chalamet) and invites him to a party. They catch-up right there in the street while Aunt March awaits in their horse-drawn carriage. Later at the party, Amy grows angry at Laurie’s drunken behavior. Meanwhile back in New York, Jo meets with Friedrich Bhaer (Louis Garrel), a professor who despite being infatuated with her, criticizes her work, which infuriates Jo. Shortly after, a letter arrives at the boarding house where Jo stays informing her that her younger sister Elizabeth “Beth”(Eliza Scanlen) has taken a turn for the worst, so Jo heads home to Massachusetts.
Flashing back to 1861 in Massachusetts, Jo and her older sister Meg (Emma Watson) go to a party where Jo first meets Laurie, the grandson of their neighbor Mr. Laurence (Chris Cooper). On Christmas morning, their mother Marmee (Laura Dern) persuades the girls to give their breakfast to their poverty-stricken neighbor, Mrs. Hummel (Sasha Frolova), who has five children, which includes an infant. Upon returning home, the girls see their table full of food, provided by Mr. Laurence. In addition, a letter from their father (Bob Odenkirk) who is fighting in the Civil War has been delivered.
So the above two paragraphs give you a window into the life of Little Women. Remaking Little Woman has proven to be a smart move if you want to be represented for a movie award. Little Woman has been remade more than any other film I can think of. It is an excellent story of family, love adventure, drama and sadness about a near-perfect family. Their ups and downs are pretty exciting yet pretty normal. I didn’t love the flashing back and forward as it interrupted the flow of the story for me. I actually liked the 1994 version of Little Women better, as it really made me feel like part of the family. The acting was brilliant and the costume design was fabulous. Despite some minor issues, I did like Little Women (2019) and highly recommend the film, it’s a nice change of pace. In the meanwhile, Little Women has grossed $75,008,520 domestically and $108,522,277 worldwide. It received critical acclaim and was chosen by both the American Film Institute and Time magazine as one of the top ten films of 2019. At the 77th Golden Globe Awards, it received two nominations, including Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for Ronan, and it was also nominated for five British Academy Film Awards, including Best Actress (Ronan), Best Supporting Actress (Pugh), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
[LITTLE WOMEN is Oscar-nominated for BEST: Picture, Actress, Supporting Actress, Costume Design, Original Score, and Adapted Screenplay — TOTALING 6 OSCAR NOMINATIONS]
I thought Keanu was going to be one of those silly, slap stick comedies with two guys I had never heard of until recently. I’m happy to report Keanu wasn’t that bad and even had quite a few very funny moments. This comedy is about two nerdy cousins who go beyond the call of duty to recover a kitten. Keegan Michael-Key plays Clarence Goobrie, Smoke Dresden and Shark Tank while his cousin Jordan Peele plays Rell Williams, Oil Dresden, and Tectonic. Clarence is married to very sexy young lady named Hannah (Mia Long) and has a daughter. Rell, who is sort of a weed head, just broke up with his girlfriend and lost his job. Rell’s weed supplier Hulka (Will Forte) lives next door and supplies endless information throughout the movie. The plot is a little convoluted as the two men get together thinking that Clarence is going to cheer up the down and out Rell. However, before Clarence arrives at Rell’s apartment, the most adorable kitten you’ve ever laid your eyes on comes scratching at his door. When Rell opens the door and lays eyes on the kitten, he instantly cheers up, names the kitten Keanu and completely falls in love with him. When Clarence arrives, Rell is chipper and introduces Keanu to him with a full heart. So where did this adorable kitten come from in the first place? That is the opening of this movie, which will explain the names Smoke and Oil Dresden and the Kitten. As time moves on, Keanu is stolen, and Clarence and Rell have to go undercover to get him back. They end up posing as “The Allentown Boys”, who are responsible for a big drug robbery and massacre earlier in the week. Teamed up with a dangerous gang banging crew under the names Shark Tank and Tectonic, they befriend Hi-C (Tiffany Haddish), Cheddar (Method Man), Trunk (Darrell Britt-Gibson), Bud (Jason Michell) and Stitches (Jamar Malachi Neighbors) in order to convince Cheddar, who now possesses Keanu, that he should turn the kitten over to them. Apparently, everyone who comes in contact with the kitten, falls head over heels in love with it and will do anything to keep it. The movie has some very funny scenes and is so different, you won’t see what’s coming. I enjoyed it as I was pleasantly surprised. Luis Guzman played a cartel boss near the end of the movie that was really one of the biggest twist of all. There are lots and lots of crazy in Keanu! BTW: Keanu Reeves is the voice of Keanu, the kitten.
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