Little Women (1994)

Little Women (1994)
December 25, 1994
Columbia
Drama, Comedy, Historical, Romance
VHS
B-

In thinking it over, I'd actually put this movie at the same level as the 1933 George Cukor version.  Winona Ryder, then 18, does a fine job in stepping into Katharine Hepburn's shoes, with her own equally valid interpretation of Jo.  The other sisters are again neglected, although Marmee's role (played by Susan Sarandon) has been beefed up and made to more closely resemble Alcott's mother.  The sisters do have some nice little moments, in particular 13-year-old Kirsten Dunst as Amy (whom I miss when she's recast for the grown-up Amy scenes), but I would like to see more balance in some version someday.

And at least they have something to do, unlike most of the men.  With the exception of Christian Bale as Laurie, and to some degree Gabriel Byrne as Professor Bhaer, the male characters are either miscast/misinterpreted (John Brooke) or almost nonexistent (Mr. Laurence and Mr. March).  One thing that the '33 version did much better was show how gruff Mr. L interacts with the March sisters, Jo and Beth especially.  And Mr. M seems to have only three lines in this go-round.  Incidentally, I'm using the "romance" tag here although I didn't for the '33 version, because it seems like romance is a bigger deal here, including quite a bit of smooching and almost-smooching.

Of other female characters, I would've liked to have seen more of film veteran Mary Wickes, as Aunt March, since she could've done a lot with the part.  (Wickes died the following year, at 85.)

I will say that the movie moved me more emotionally than the '33 version, although I did find some of the line delivery a little stilted, if less than in the not-far-from-the-silent-era earlier take.  Both remain less than the book they're based on.  (Reviewed here, http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2012/02/little-women.html .)  Admittedly, that's one of my favorite books, but in the first half of the '90s both Enchanted April and Joy Luck Club showed what could be done with adaptations.

Daniel Olsen, who plays a Wounded Soldier, would be an MIT student in Good Will Hunting.