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- PBS
- Dec 26, 2017
- PBS
- Dec 26, 2017
Summary The latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott classic coming of age novel about the March sisters: Meg (Willa Fitzgerald), Jo (Maya Hawke), Beth (Annes Elwy), Amy (Kathryn Newton), as they learn about family, love and loss with the help of their mother Marmee (Emily Watson).
- PBS
- Dec 26, 2017
- PBS
- Dec 26, 2017
Summary The latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott classic coming of age novel about the March sisters: Meg (Willa Fitzgerald), Jo (Maya Hawke), Beth (Annes Elwy), Amy (Kathryn Newton), as they learn about family, love and loss with the help of their mother Marmee (Emily Watson).
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
64
50% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
44% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
64
50% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
44% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Beautifully produced and faithful to the original story, the miniseries also captures the joyful spirit of the novel despite its many heartaches. For every generation comes a new Little Women, but PBS’ version promises to be the go-to standard for a long time to come.
It's always a challenge tackling such a familiar and beloved story, and bringing enough freshness or relevance to justify devoting three hours to it. Still, it's hard to find many weaknesses -- manly or otherwise -- in this latest take on Little Women.
The performances are generally fine, if a bit lacking in star quality.
Once director Vanessa Caswill boils away the innocence, Little Women becomes a more substantial drama. ... While the four roles could have been played by stronger actresses, they’re fairly well-matched. Watson and Lansbury are left to carry the subtlety. Both do it well, making us long for “Older Women,” a version that views the high-strung March girls from another perspective.
There's some sense of missed opportunity in how rarely this Little Women finds a distinctive way to view and interpret the travails of the March family, especially during the second episode, which lands several required emotional punches, but mostly meanders. Still, fans of the book will be pleased with the creators' relative fidelity to the source material, and will be appreciative of the strong, generation-spanning cast.
What we get is a fairly faithful rendition of the book’s events that lacks the warmth and depth of feeling that make the book worth reading. There are some flat-footed attempts at lyricism, or modernization, through the intrusive use of music, or short passages when the cuts come more quickly and the camera moves in for off-center close-ups.
There’s a lot to dislike about these Little Women, not least the acting. Angela Lansbury as Aunt March and Michael Gambon as Mr. Laurence provide some sparks; Jonah Hauer-King as Laurie is perfectly fine. But Ms. Hawke in particular is overly earnest, never mind obvious. ... Emotionally, this Little Women is as thin as the pond ice that Amy falls through, or Beth’s chances of making it to the next pledge break.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 User Ratings
5.1
40% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
20% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
40% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 User Ratings
5.1
40% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
20% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
40% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
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