Little Women (2018 film)

Little Women is a 2018 American drama film directed by Clare Niederpruem, from a screenplay by Niederpruem and Kristi Shimek. The sixth film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's 1868–69 two-volume novel of the same name, it is a modern retelling of the original story and marks the 150th anniversary of the release of the book's first volume. The film stars Sarah Davenport, Allie Jennings, Lucas Grabeel, Ian Bohen, and Lea Thompson. It was released in the United States on September 28, 2018, by Pinnacle Peak.

Plot
Set in the early 2000s, four sisters grow up together. Jo is an aspiring writer who travels to New York and eventually marries her professor, Freddy Bhaer. Beth plays the piano, has a battle against cancer throughout the movie, and eventually dies of leukemia. Amy becomes an internationally renowned painter and marries Theodore Laurence (Laurie). Meg, who struggles with wanting to be happily married versus being able to help with her family's finances, marries Laurie's former tutor and has twins.

Cast

 * Sarah Davenport as Jo March
 * Aimee Lynne Johnson as Young Jo
 * Allie Jennings as Beth March
 * Reese Oliveira as Young Beth
 * Melanie Stone as Meg March
 * Taylor Murphy as Amy March
 * Elise Jones as Young Amy
 * Lucas Grabeel as Theodore "Laurie" Laurence
 * Stuart Edge as John Brooke
 * Ian Bohen as Frederick "Freddy" Bhaer
 * Lea Thompson as Marmee March
 * Bart Johnson as Papa March
 * Adam Johnson as Duke Senior
 * Michael Flynn as Mr. Laurence
 * Barta Heiner as Aunt March

Production
In April 2017, it was announced Lea Thompson and Lucas Grabeel had joined the cast of the directorial debut of Clare Niederpruem, directing from a screenplay she wrote alongside Kristi Shimek, based upon the novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. Maclain Nelson and Stephen Shimek will serve as producers on the film, while Chris Donahue and Marybeth Sprows, will executive produce the film under their Main Dog Productions and Paulist Productions banners, respectively. In June 2017, Sarah Davenport and Ian Bohen joined the cast of the film.

Principal photography began in June 2017, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Track listing
Track listing adapted from IMDb

Release
In June 2018, it was announced Pinnacle Peak and Pure Flix Entertainment would distribute the film. It was released in the United States on September 28, 2018.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, Little Women was released alongside Smallfoot, Night School and Hell Fest, and was projected to gross $3–5 million from 643 theaters in its opening weekend. It ended up grossing just $747,000, finishing 16th at the box office.

Critical response
According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, of critics have given the film a positive review based on  reviews, with an average rating of. The site's critics consensus reads, "This updated version of Little Women may hold some appeal for newcomers, but fans of the classic source material have far better adaptations to choose from." At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 40 out of 100 based on 11 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com gave it 3 out of 4 stars and wrote, "For devotees, the essence of the Little Women story remains, and, for newcomers, it is a sweet film that should inspire them to explore the book and the more traditional adaptations." But Elizabeth Weitzman of The Wrap gave it low marks, writing, "The girls in this contemporary retelling ... are not messy and complex human beings but Hallmark Channel characters, two-dimensional symbols of virtuous nostalgia." Faith-based reviewers were more generous. Kristin Smith of Plugged In said the film "illustrates the importance of loving one another, of practicing forgiveness and of moving forward despite difficult times." Michael Foust of Crosswalk wrote that "unlike other modern-day film adaptations that spoiled a classic, Little Women is an updated version that doesn’t ruin what made the original great. ... Here’s hoping [Niederpruem] makes many more like this one."