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 Greta Gerwig's been endearing herself to film nerds dating back to the mumblecore days with collaborations with Joe Swanberg like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Nights and Weekends (the latter of which I think is Swanberg's best). Then came the Noah Baumbach phase, best represented by Frances Ha, Nowadays, she's directing her own films, and it's all very exciting. Gotta be honest. I thought Lady Bird was a very good movie, but it kind of feels like there are a lot of movies like Lady Bird that come out every year. Little Women, her latest, came out on Christmas and I went in with some fairly lofty expectations, and friend, I tell you, they were thoroughly exceeded. Little Women isn't just good, it's a  Great American Movie . This film resembles a perfection of craft so complete that I'm willing to say Gerwig has ascended from the status of solid indie artist to an essential American auteur. I think it's bound for the annals of timeless classics not just because of its artistic prowess, but its total accessibility. If you're sitting there going, "I don't know, could I really relate to this story of four girls running around the house during the Civil War," trust me and just go see it.It's an adaptation of a beloved 19th century novel and I honestly know so little about it that someone can surely speak to it better in this thread, but what I can say is that the film takes a conventional, chronological story, shuffles the poo poo out of it, and presents a nonlinear narrative that never loses its flow. That's the first impressive part. The second impressive part is the cinematography/art direction. This movie ought to be shown in schools for its tonal cohesion, with a look and feel that makes you think you're sitting by a hearth and hearing a great yarn. It's emotionally gripping but has this light touch so that you're never tired of watching it. The third great aspect is the collection of performances; everybody brings the ruckus. While the main standouts are Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh as the principal rival sisters, everybody comes to annihilate your soul. Laura Dern is the mother with all the answers, Chris Cooper a wise neighbor, Timothee Chalamet the rebellious love interest. Oh yeah, and Bob Odenkirk shows up out of nowhere and steals the show. And everything coalesces thanks to some masterful direction. The film has room for great scenes of dialogue that build out everyone's dynamics wonderfully, but at the same time there are these purely visual character moments that will tear your heart into little pieces. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. It's the best new film I've seen in years and I'm supremely stoked about it.
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Dec 30, 2019 18:16
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Yea it's a fantastic film. Did you think (ending spoilers) that the vision of Jo married with the professor dude was real, or just what she writes in the novel?
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Dec 30, 2019 18:41
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theblackw0lf posted:Yea it's a fantastic film. I think movie/“real” Jo’s happy ending was receiving her book at the end and the big romantic finale was book Jo’s.
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Dec 31, 2019 00:09
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I really want to see this because I love the cast and Little Women is one of those, as OP said "Great American Stories" and I love the version with Wynona Rider, so yeah gonna go see this at some point. But I just have one question, and completely unrelated to the film, but what the hell exactly is "Frances Ha"?
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Dec 31, 2019 00:26
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Kull the Conqueror posted:It's an adaptation of a beloved 19th century novel and I honestly know so little about it that someone can surely speak to it better in this thread, but what I can say is that the film takes a conventional, chronological story, shuffles the poo poo out of it, and presents a nonlinear narrative that never loses its flow. That's the first impressive part. I knew basically nothing about it too, and went to see it on the strength of its creative and cast. Great, great decision. theblackw0lf posted:Yea it's a fantastic film. I want to believe they ended up together because I'm a sucker for a love story and also probably a bit of a bad feminist. We went to see it with an author friend of ours, who said that the writing sequence at the end struck amazingly true for her, and she teared up a bit when Jo got the book. Anyway I don't have anything meaningful to add, it was a good movie and i just wanted to bump the thread and maybe someone will go "oh four people on a dead comedy forum liked it, now I'll go see it."
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Dec 31, 2019 00:29
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Julius CSAR posted:But I just have one question, and completely unrelated to the film, but what the hell exactly is "Frances Ha"? It is a wonderful movie written by and starring Greta Gerwig about being young and directionless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpu6Sg5GT_U
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Dec 31, 2019 01:04
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Kull the Conqueror posted:It is a wonderful movie written by and starring Greta Gerwig about being young and directionless. Is that Adam Driver? (watching without sound as I'm at work)
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Dec 31, 2019 01:22
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Hell yeah it is. Among many emotional moments from LW that are branded on my mind, Chris Cooper sitting on the steps of his mansion losing his composure while listening to Beth play the piano is one of those "This is what movies are all about" kind of shots to me.
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Dec 31, 2019 15:04
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Just saw this last night and can confirm instant classic. Never saw the 90s adaptation with Winona but now I'm curious to go back and compare. My wife says this version's Amy is much more sympathetic and if so I think the story is better for it.
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Dec 31, 2019 19:38
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I’ve never read or watched any other adaption of “Little Women” and I thought “Lady Bird” was very good but not spectacular, but this film is fantastic. Just everything you want a film to be. A moving journey that warms and touches your heart. It sounds cheesy but you will come out of this movie appreciating life. Sublime acting across the board, a flawless script, and beautifully shot. This and “Parasite” are my top films this year, no competition.
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Dec 31, 2019 20:39
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Just saw it and I’m all in on the instant classic view. To me it’s right there with Casablanca, Titanic, whatever else you’d pick as a classic “romance”, though obviously it’s so much more then that.
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Jan 2, 2020 03:54
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"Tell servants I want this painting purchased for me immediately" This film deserves an oscar just for costuming alone. https://youtu.be/Li9ff4rQlck Ronan, Chalamet, Dern and Gerwig break down a scene and its fantastic Mr Ice Cream Glove fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Jan 2, 2020 |
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Jan 2, 2020 04:29
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theblackw0lf posted:Yea it's a fantastic film. I highly recommend folks read the book. It's an incredibly light read and would just make you enjoy the film even more. It might be one of the greatest film adaptations of any source material in how smartly it works in conversation with the source material.
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Jan 4, 2020 17:19
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I said this in GenChat but this movie felt like a warm blanket and kiss on the forehead as a loving mother tucks you into bed. Its delightful and beautiful and full of such love and heart it oozes off the screen. Easily snuck into my Top 10 of 2019.
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Jan 4, 2020 18:18
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It's very good but I burst out laughing when Odenkirk showed up in the movie 80 minutes in. A very nice surprise.
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Jan 5, 2020 17:17
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Here's a question: Are they any moments besides the train scene that didn't actually happen? Two scenes that I question if they weren't sanitized for the novel telling: -Amy and Jo reconciling -Meg and her husband reconciling
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Jan 5, 2020 17:49
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My wife is being mulish with her insistence that the Winona version can never be topped and anyone who tries should be killed without trial. I assume she’d be pleasantly surprised how good it is? I’ve heard it’s great, but can someone with experience of both movies weigh in on their respective merits?
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Jan 6, 2020 16:17
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I knew nothing about the novel and went to see this based on a few friends saying it was great. This was awesome and my wife and I had a ton of fun just talking about our favorite scenes on the car ride home. I love everybody in this movie and it was really satisfying to see a movie with a happy ending that had some wrinkles to that happiness, not just "everything was great for everybody forever" or "everything sucked for everyone forever".
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Jan 6, 2020 17:56
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Torquemada posted:My wife is being mulish with her insistence that the Winona version can never be topped and anyone who tries should be killed without trial. I assume she’d be pleasantly surprised how good it is? I’ve heard it’s great, but can someone with experience of both movies weigh in on their respective merits? This film's Laurie is also inarguably the definitive version.
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Jan 7, 2020 00:39
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Wasn’t expecting to love this film as much as I did. Definitely a great surprise! Ronan was amazing of course but I loved Pugh as well (she has the best frown in Hollywood easily) I normally dislike Emma Watson but I really enjoyed her performance. The whole thing just felt so genuine and the cast had really excellent chemistry
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Jan 13, 2020 01:07
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It's almost magical how good this movie is. I didn't expect much from it but was entranced the entire time. Every character was just so real.
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Jan 13, 2020 17:34
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This movie was really great. I hadn't really wanted to see it at first (and had little to no familiarity with the novel or previous movie adaptations) but people were saying such glowing things about it I got excited to go, and I had a goddamn great time. I think I just really like that this was a movie about good people trying to do their best and sometimes they hurt each other, like people do, but it's clear they care about each other at the end of the day. That just felt so nice for once. And even though I knew it was coming, I was surprisingly affected by (spoiler for a 150-year-old story I guess?) Beth's death and everything around it. And god drat, everything about Mr. Laurence treating Beth like a surrogate daughter and him getting choked up listening to her play the piano and his heartbreak when she dies... god drat that got to me. I think I cried more than my girlfriend did.
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Jan 17, 2020 16:47
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I adored this movie and, even though I knew it was coming, Beth's death ruined me. Poor Jo. Poor Marmee. Poor Mr. Laurence. I still don't like Amy, but, as others have said, she's a very well-realized character here. Florence Pugh (along with the rest of the cast) do an excellent job.
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Jan 18, 2020 04:23
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Beth dying works better when you're a child and haven't yet learned that the underwritten, boring characters tend to get killed off.Timeless Appeal posted:You should ask her if she likes Amy in the Wiona version. She probably doesn't. Sell it on Amy actually being an incredibly well realized character in this version while still being a complete mess. Pugh's Amy and Chalamet's Laurie are the great interpretations that this adaptation brings to the table.
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Jan 18, 2020 19:57
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Florence Pugh playing a 13 year old should not have worked but it did.
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Jan 19, 2020 03:58
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Shneak posted:Florence Pugh playing a 13 year old should not have worked but it did. The whole cast was good but yes absolutely she was the standout. Hugely entertaining start to finish. Gerwig really made it all feel very real and very natural, there's none of that "you are watching a period drama based on a respected novel" feel. She even manages to throw in a scene about haggling over book rights and it's hilarious.
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Jan 19, 2020 04:07
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Maxwell Lord posted:Gerwig really made it all feel very real and very natural, there's none of that "you are watching a period drama based on a respected novel" feel.[/spoiler] and it's hilarious. This is really the essence of it. The actors are so authentically youthful. They say their lines like the teenagers that they once were, and not as though they're trying to interpret foreign material from another time.
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Jan 19, 2020 19:53
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I'm happy that screeners are out and we get to share clips from the movie now. https://twitter.com/teddylaurie_/status/1218626871254028288
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Jan 21, 2020 05:14
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Id like to hear about the pickled limes.
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Jan 21, 2020 14:12
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Wasn’t sure how well I’d mesh with this film going in, but completely adored. Definitely go out of your way to see it.
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Jan 29, 2020 08:57
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Kull the Conqueror posted:Hell yeah it is. Man, Chris Cooper was so good in this. I wish he was in more movies.
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Feb 2, 2020 06:01
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This is interesting https://twitter.com/SamuelAAdams/status/1224814043216732162/photo/1
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Feb 4, 2020 23:02
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I thought it was totally clear that the "book happy ending" and the "movie happy ending" are different.
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Feb 6, 2020 06:11
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Anonymous John posted:I thought it was totally clear that the "book happy ending" and the "movie happy ending" are different. I was confused when I saw the teacher dude partying with the family at the end of the movie. If not for that, I would have pretty clearly thought that, in this version of the story, Jo doesn’t get married but agrees to have her autobiographical stand in get married for the publisher’s sake. As is, I think it’s ambiguous.
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Feb 10, 2020 16:50
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edit: It's a big picture, make sure you click to see all of it https://twitter.com/danielwarrenart/status/1226973880360763397?s=19
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Feb 10, 2020 23:02
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Absolutely loved it.
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Feb 12, 2020 08:35
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Fantastic movie. I cried a lot I loving hate recent-times Laura Dern but she was great here
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Mar 22, 2020 02:51
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Excited to finally watch this tonight!
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Mar 22, 2020 03:43
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MorrisBae posted:I loving hate recent-times Laura Dern uhhhh
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Mar 22, 2020 14:27
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MorrisBae posted:
Yo waht the gently caress
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Mar 22, 2020 23:11
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