Ben Jones

It should first be noted, I am a man who watched this, and I dragged my girlfriend to see it (she loved it). Also, if you don't want spoilers for a book that has been out for over a hundred and fifty years, don't read this. Now, with that preface out of the way, let's begin. This was a really well done version. It captured the spirit of the novel very well, the method of showing the past through flashbacks was a little jarring at first, but felt quite natural rather quickly. The actress who played Amy felt a bit monotone throughout it all, but all the other actors were very well suited for their roles (even the Frenchman playing the old German professor felt like an excellent choice). Mr. Lawrence's character was in this one more, which was very welcomed as he is a fantastic character, and his relationship with Beth was very pleasant. It was also a great choice to use one set of actors for the girls both when they were older and younger. Aunt March was very well done as an ornery old woman. There were two or three points where it felt a bit preachy, however that did not affect the quality or flow of the movie. The courtship between Laurie and Amy was very well done and felt very natural. Meg and John's relationship was also very well done, and their love for each other was excellently showcased through their interactions. One complaint I do have with the movie is how fast it passed over Beth's funeral. It happened very quickly, and suddenly a flashback to happy times. It did not feel like it gave the funeral the proper time that it needed. Also, there were too few people at the funeral. In the book it seemed as if the entire town attended her funeral because she was constantly doing good (as Amy says, "she was the best of us"), yet here there were barely ten people, if that. Yes, her funeral was still heartbreaking, yet Beth deserved better. Also, the way that letters were presented was not very well done either. As it had the character who wrote the letter sit there and recite the letter that they had written. A better way would to have them narrate the letter as they wrote it. Instead, we get them staring us down as they recite. Overall, this movie was a pleasure to watch and I'd heartily recommend it to others.