Little Women has a Star Studded Cast Befitting of the Name

I would like to preface this piece with the fact that I’ve not read the original Little Women book or watched any of the previous adaptations. I have however tried my best to read as much as I can about what people have said about them when compared to this film

Many movies for the longest time have been marketed as having a ‘star studded cast’. Whether its RDJ and all the Chris(s) in Avengers or an ensemble film like Love Actually, production studios throw big bucks to as many big names as possible with the hope to attract the masses. Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Little Women was not branded with the same brush (as far as I could tell). But oddly enough, its the first film in a long while where I felt the whole of the talents involved actually warranted such description.

The retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s story about the four March sisters growing up features a host of the brightest up-and-coming names in the industry. The film is 2 hours of Gerwig bringing the best out of these young actors and actresses as they play off each other with immense chemistry and chew at a richly written script.

Let’s start with perhaps the smallest name of the film, both because Eliza Scanlen might not have had the same exposure her peers have had before this and the fact that Beth March is maybe the most one-note of the sisters in the story. Scanlen plays Beth with a gentle and timid touch that made the climatic moment of her arc hurt deep in my stomach and that feels like a job well done.

Moving on to Meg March, played by Emma Watson. In terms of casting suitability, this was nailed on. Watson is a natural when asked to revert back to her inner Hermoine Granger and play the intelligent and motherly personality of Meg. Its another reason her casting as Belle for the latest Beauty and the Beast adaptation also made so much sense. This is in sharp contrast to the hit and miss performances that she has had when casted to play rebellious teenagers turn criminals (The Bling Ring) or hipster indie chick (The Perks of being a Wallflower).

Then we had Florence Pugh — who has had multiple award nominations for her roles in Lady Macbeth, Midsommar, and soon to play across Scarlett Johannson in the upcoming Black Widow movie — playing Amy March. I admit, her performance was hit and miss for me. There were times when she took me out of the movie a little bit. Her delivery of the dialogue feeling just a tad too modern when contrasted with the other actresses.

This could have stemmed maybe from the mistake of casting her to play both Child and Young Adult Amy. I did not realize until after the film that Amy March was supposed to be the youngest of the four sisters (I went through the entire movie thinking Beth was the youngest), and that she was supposed to be 12 in the flashback arc of the film. That might explain the overtly obnoxious character that young Amy was portrayed as and probably would have benefited from having a younger actress in Pugh’s place. There was a comment I read about how a younger actress would help conjure sympathy from the audience when Amy’s tantrums (she’s been portrayed as a straight up villain in other adaptations but Gerwig writes her with a lot more nuance in this film) were at her worse. However, Pugh is still an amazingly talented actress and she played Young Adult Amy that was struggling with heartbreak and insecurities but still with ounces of pride and expectations of herself that endeared her to me in particular.

And finally, we have Jo March, who Louisa May Alcott have mentioned she wrote to represent a lot of herself. Played masterfully by Saorise Ronan. After everything I’ve written about the previous cast members above, it’s tough to describe what an immensely skillful of an actress Ronan is. I can confidently say she is one of the handful of people in the film industry right now that can get me to buy a ticket by name alone.

Playing Jo with a tenacious will that is coupled with wit and a self-awareness that is both humorous and liberating. Ronan really digs deep in her portrayal of the main protagonist. There are countless scenes that stand out in this film but the one that stuck with me the most was near the end (minor-ish spoilers) where she contemplates all her beliefs about how a woman can be so much more than just a person to marry and love but contrasts it against her loneliness in pursuit of her dreams. It was breathtaking.

Casting her across Timothée Chalamet, who is pretty much the latest incarnation of the Miles Teller-Ezra Miller-let’s cast him in all coming of age films mold, was the engine that kept this film going from one scene to the next. The two already have amazing chemistry from working on Lady Bird (another FANTASTIC film) and their youthful friendship here was encapsulated by the very first scene they had together where they danced in the shadows of an overbearing social event.

Finally, I feel I should spare some words for the great performances by Laura Dern and Merryl Streep, more legends than veterans when compared to the youthful names on that casting list. They played the adult characters of a movie about children growing up with the steadiest of hands.

Now of course, if you’re still reading this, you can clearly see I was a fan of the acting performances in this film. But none of that would have been possible without Greta Gerwig’s script that was written with every bit of Beth’s timidness, Meg’s tenderness, Amy’s ambition, and of course Jo’s tenacity. Gerwig is the biggest star hiding behind this star studded masterpiece. She herself might not be an up-and-coming actress anymore but very much in that vain when it comes to directing. Her work with Ronan and Chalamet in Lady Bird is one of my favourite movies from the past couple of years and I am confident that I will see her raise a major Oscar win in the near future.

From behind the camera to center stage, this was a star studded film that earned the right to call itself so. Even if no one else would.

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