A. R. Buchinger

If I weren’t so familiar with this story, the time jumps in this would have confused the heck out of me. I feel bad for anyone who isn’t intimately familiar with the original story. The cast wasn’t quite right. I did not believe Timothee as a grown man whatsoever. Amy as a young girl being played by a 23 year old actress did not work. The woman who played Beth was great - meek and sickly and perfect for Beth. I adore Laura Dern but I didn’t love her as Marmie. And all of them were too Manic Pixie Colonial Dream Girl which was not fitting at ALL. This did not feel like a period piece. The music was boring. The costuming was great. I did not find “the cinematography” to be overwhelmingly beautiful, as per every single review I’ve read. Orchard House was a grey house in a field. Snore. I appreciated that they included people of color in the background when possible but I actually feel the 1994 version was more woke bc it talked about schools for the disadvantaged and child labor in silk mills, albeit without there being a single non-white person on screen. When Jo said she wanted to open a school and the end, I was kinda like “why would we believe that this is what she wants to do?” There was not that much focus on her wanting to be a positive influence/activist so much as the movie just said “see girls can be mad too RARRR.” Okay I’ll stop complaining. But honestly? Save your money.