i don’t believe jo was ever in love with laurie. she wanted so badly to be loved that she regretted turning him down and was willing to settle. she was definitely right when she said they would be miserable because the things they wanted in life were completely different.
It seemed to me that she did love him but the idea about marriage and what happens to women (giving up all personal ambition) in their time was so sad and gloomy for her that she was actively against feeling those things for him. Same way she was trying to steer Meg from love and marriage. His absence and seeing Meg and Brooke later on fighting for each other and still finding happiness in each other seemed to add to her changing view of marriage and a wife. I think if they married and he didn't stand in the way of her dream to being a writer, it could've been successful. I also think that she saw him as a best friend but people feel that way about their partners a lot of the times. I think in the end, when they're grown up, she wasn't right for him. Amy was. But he could've been right for her.
Jo represents the author and it's believed the author was actually gay in real life which makes sense as to why she wouldn't want to marry Lauri or at all.
jo marries frederick in the book and in the 90's movie. he's an older guy who is really good for her, but they changed that story in this version.. because they believed that the author had those original intentions. but like Jo, she was forced to write an ending with marriage. so they mirror that in this movie to honor the author.
Yeah, well they were wrong. LMA wrote the professor as Jo’s equal. He loved Jo for the feminist she was … and if LMA didn’t want that, she would not have written Little Men!
@@rachel-in-the-208 She did want Jo to remain single. Book readers wrote letters wanting Jo to marry Laurie. LMA said she wouldn't marry Jo to Laurie to please anyone and created Professor Bhaer for her. The character of Nan in Jo's Boys (third--or fourth, technically, as Little Women was originally two books--hence the ability for girls to weigh in on Jo and Laurie) rejects the suitor who crushes on her from childhood and is a happily single doctor.
Alcott based Bhaer on a man who she loved and lost in her real life. Whether she originally wanted Jo to end up single or not, she definitely in the end wanted her to be with Bhaer, giving Jo the wish fulfillment that she herself would never get because her beloved died. Contrary to popular belief, she did NOT create Bhaer just to spite readers.
I think when Laurie meets Amy in Paris, he's shaken a bit by how much she's grown up and by comparison how much he hasn't. He's always been a bit of a flirt and very swayed by his emotions. So when he told her not to marry Fred it was half his indulgent side stroking his own ego and half genuinely knowing that she wouldn't be happy with Fred if she didn't really love him. So he really took her rant to heart and I think after that he truly did love her. A big part of the book is all the characters striving to better themselves and overcome their vices, so each of the marriages reflect that. Meg marries a poor man which is a challenge to her vanity. Jo marries instead of pursuing the fame she wanted from a writing career. Amy is determined so gives Laurie purpose and direction, and Laurie provides passion and silliness. Jo and Laurie don't complement each other's vices in the same way, so they wouldn't have worked together. And Beth is already perfect so she dies lmao
Agree except for Jo "settling" with Frederick, she changes her dream of success for one more down to earth, opening a school and helping tons of young boys and girls as we see later in Little Men. I think it is a nice touch by the author.
Jo does continue with her writing career in the books and is plagued by autograph hunters in Jo's Boys, who often wrote for autographs more than once and sold them.
Boy and girls can be childhood friends without it being romantic. Laurie treats the girls the way he does because he knows them. And the girls know him too. He loves all of them, but not all of them romantically. He likes the idea of him and Jo, and he loves Jo, but he doesn't *love* Jo. Not truly fully romantically. Amy is who he catches true feelings for.
I think he loved Jo romantically but it changed later. This is what he says in the book, I think, basically, in the "love is altered" scene. I don't remember how they do it in this adaptation, though.
So Laurie is unhappy in his home life and that’s why he’s so in love with the March Sisters as a unit. His parents are dead and while his grandfather is a good person, they weren’t close for the longest of time, because he had disapproved of his Italian mother. He wants that warm family. Jo is his best friend and as such, he transferred feelings of love onto her at a young age. Now, he’s realized romantically, he’s fallen in love with Amy. But honestly, I don’t think he could fall in love with anyone but a March sister.
That's the impression I got, too. He really only 'saw' the March sisters, it was only a matter of who he connected with, but he mistakenly believed it was Jo because she is the 'bridge' that brought him into that family. Man was seriously lost in Europe without the girls' presence and influence.
i think the thing about this version is that it goes back and forth so much between the past & present, that it makes it seem like laurie goes back and forth a lot between amy and jo (so he seems like he's playing them both). but the actual chronological timeline in the film is basically him falling in love with jo (while amy's a few years younger so he doesnt see her that way), then jo turns him down so he's heartbroken in paris, and that's when he starts to get over it and fall for amy (quite a few years later & he sees her in a new way now she's grown up) and realise that jo was right. (although in the 1994 version it more seemed like laurie and amy came out of nowhere, so i do actually prefer this version its just kind of confusing when you first see it and the timeline jumps forwards & backwards so much)
Yeah I only completely understood both of Laurie’s relationship storylines after watching the movie a few times over. For me it didn’t come across that well in the first watch
I honest relate to Jo a lot. I have always hated the idea of marriage and i was so sure that i won't ever get married. But as the time flew and all my friends and cousins got married and started their own family, it's started to get a little lonely. It got to the point where i somewhat considered marrying. I don't think Jo really loved Laurie. She was just feeling lonely.
I think she did love Laurie, but was afraid of marriage and its consequences. Back in the days, it meant total loss of identity. She burried her feelings. But with maturity, and realising that things aren't quite black and white, she eventually chose to write a love letter to Laurie and confess her love (she didn't write to the french/german professor).
Loved this reaction but was slightly disappointed that you didn’t show your reaction to Amy’s speech about what it means to be a woman in that time. It was the part that made me love her as a character.
I know some people like the guy Jo ends up with but to me it was very obviously the ending she was forced to add by the publisher and real Jo ends up alone.
I read somewhere years ago that since she was forced to add Frederick, at least she created someone that could meet her expectations, so he is an older and not goodlooking teacher who defies her intellectually and I think that is so dope of Alcott to do.
It never seemed to me that Frederich was written as an afterthought. He came to visit Jo and gradually makes friends with the whole family, who like him very much. The readers are given a hint as to why he is visiting Jo, and it's no surprise.
I love that the flashback has that golden orange bright color to it. Not just to show that when you’re young everything is brighter, but also to show that was when Beth was alive. She definitely was a light in all of their lives. And then when she’s gone they are in the present and it’s more dull and blue in color. Because their light is gone. 😢but at the very end when they’re all together at this new school it’s bright golden orange again which is moving on after Beth and welcoming a more brighter future
one thing i will never get over is how they never told amy that beth got worse and she never got to say goodbye, and later on jo is mad about it even though it was not amy’s fault.
I'm so glad you all enjoyed and appreciated this so much, being 3 male reactors and this being "Little Women". You're all thoughtful and insightful and funny and bring a unique perspective!
Gah. You left out my favorite parts, the two monologues delivered by Amy and Jo. I love when Amy reads Laurie the riot act about his scorn for her pursuing a loveless marriage; I appreciate that she has the confidence to confront his poor attitude and make it quite clear exactly what the world is like for women compared with men. And then I feel for Jo so much when she's talking with her mother and crying about how tired she is of seeing women thought of and portrayed as good for nothing more than romance, because I feel that every day. I'm aspec and very happily single, and I get so tired of every piece of media available to me ensuring that women end up in some variety of relationship with no allowance for representation of people who very passionately do not want such a path in life.
Laurie genuinely cares about all the sisters and he's known them so long that he's very honest about his thoughts and comfortable with them. But his real love was Jo and Jo turned him down. Years later seeing Amy all grown up, he is now attracted to her. He really ever like only 2 of the sisters. Jo first and later Amy. But he happens to be very charming which looks like he's flirting with all of them but really he's just a friend to the family and cares about the sisters.
I absolutely love this film, it’s so beautifully executed. Definitely one of the best period films. And Florence was incredible. I don’t think Laurie would have gotten together with Jo though. They grew up together being best friends and so he thought he was in love with her. But he said it himself, it’s different with Amy. His feelings for Amy probably made him realise that while he definitely loved Jo he wasn’t in love with her. It was probably just a weird boyish fixation. And even if he did, you can fall out of love with people. I mean it took Laurie a long time to figure out his feelings for Amy which I think just shows that his feelings really are genuine. Side note, it’s pronounced Saoirse like inertia. :D
If you notice the last few scenes with the umbrella and the school are in the warmer filter, so they have that idyllic feel and I think it implies that Jo did not marry, that was just the ending she wrote for the publisher. The real ending of the film imo is her as an unmarried "spinster" writer. I actually liked Friedrich in the book though and it develops him a lot as her equal in mind and philosophy, though he's described as not attractive and much older (like 40ish) and he also deters her from making a living through writing... which is a whole complicated thing to really dissect because of the religious overtones of the book. Laurie is more brotherly and yearns to be part of the family, he really loves all of them. I love him and Jo as friends so I like the Amy romance. This film did a great job of prepping the audience for the romances, because other versions and the book really would make you think Jo and Laurie would definitely get together 😄
Well said! I would also like to add that I believe the play with the color grading is meant to symbolize how we see life as children compared with adulthood, and how the added responsabilities of life, tragedy, disappointments etc can sometimes make adult life seem cold, dreary, and devoid from that happiness and hope that seemed to color every moment of our childhood. And I feel like the beauty in the message of this film, lies in the ending: we see the color of childhood come back now that they're adults, perhaps telling us that even though adulthood is full of disappointments and hardships, if we find a way to persevere through our pain, we'll see that that warmth is not lost and it CAN come back to our lives, in a different way, if we keep the people that we love close to us and support one another through our respective hardships.
Scarlet fever is still very much a thing, although rare. My brother had it as a child. It's kind of similar to strep throat but with added red rash, it's caused by bacteria. Nowadays it's easy to cure it thanks to antibiotics but back in the day not everyone had the immune system strong enough to beat it. In Beth's case she likely died from complications AFTER the scarlet fever. Even today if you don't treat infectious diseases (like flu etc.) properly you can have big problems with complications which a lot of times are heart diseases.
Jo and Laurie were soulmates. They make you feel things you haven't felt before, give you great memories and experiences, you learn so much from them and you admire them despite differences. Although you are destined to meet your soulmate in life, being with them is not guaranteed. Sometimes soulmates are platonic.
Laurie loved the Marsh because he doesn’t get that sorry of warmth and liveliness from his life. He needed them. It’s beautiful, Joe needed him but for different reasons. She needed to know someone could love her, even if she didn’t love him back.
I don't think Laurie would get with Jo if he saw the letter, because of how he says to Jo that he realised the way he loves Amy is different but I get why you'd think that
In the book and previous movies, Amy could be seen as the villian, the spoiled little sister who burned Jo's book, got the trip to Europe that was promised to Jo, and married Laurie. This is the first movie to make Amy likeable. Maybe you shoukd watch the episode of Friends where Joey reads Little Women.
9:06 this is the most accurate definition of his feelings, he loved the family, he liked everyone no just Jo, no just Amy but the whole family vibes, he said it in the books too 😂
Ppl typically don’t like the character of Amy in the book, but Greta G made her a more well rounded character in this version. Florence P’s acting doesn’t hurt either. I was initially thrown by the back and forth when I saw this version, but it works. The warm glow of the past scenes from Jo’s memory reflects the happiness of childhood and Jos wistfulness for when they were all together, things were easier….and of course Beth. Love that you guys were able to appreciate this gem of a film.
i know this is so so late but just wanted to say because I couldn't find a comment about it but at 15:54 Jo says "Christopher Columbus look at that" and back then saying "Christopher Columbus" was comparable to "Oh My god" or "wow" it was slang from that time and she is referring to the giant portrait but it is confusing if you didnt know that because Timmy then says that its his grandfather which i why you guys were like huhhhh lololol
Unlike most, I had never seen any of the older "Little Women" movies before watching this one. I loved it! Such a great story and I enjoy all the story writing decisions. Seeing the actor who plays Saul was a surprise and took me out of it for a second, haha, but that's okay. A great story, well written, filmed by the crew and acted out by amazing actors. I'd watch this just to feel those fuzzy good vibes.
A lot of this was filmed where I used to go to school and having the actors around was really weird and it was such a weird experience to watch esp since like the Alcott house and Laurie’s house are like a ten minute drive from each other but in the movie it’s edited so that they’re neighbors
It’s such a refreshing joy to watch you guys. It shouldn’t be rare for young men to be so considerate and respectful and supportive of women and media that some people would consider merely feminine. I’m not expressing myself very well. I don’t mean to imply that most men are bad. I just want you to know that I really appreciate you three and I love watching your reactions.
i can't believe yall didn't include both amy's monologue about marriage and wealth in their societal context and jo's monologue about loneliness THOSE ARE LIKE THEIR MAIN MOTIVES GUYS COME ONNNN
In case you're interested in the actual inflation rate, $50 would convert to approx. $1600 today, which given the realities of clothing of the era was not actually that much--about average. (For context, it's about what a large sack of salt would have cost)
I empathize with Jo, in real life and in little women. I also gave up someone who truly, unconditionally loved me for similar reasons as she expresses in this film. However over a decade later, I deeply regret my decision. Maybe unlike Jo, I believe I was wrong & that I chose wrong.
The story isn't about Laurie, but you could make a whole movie about him alone ❤️ You mentioned how he probably liked all 3 of the sisters at some point. Is that so hard to imagine? It's a lonely boy, with no parents, living with his grandfather with whom he doesn't necessarily get along, neighbor to this family of emotional, brave, great young girls at different but close ages. Is it so impossible that he liked any of them at some point? Maybe a few at a time? However, regarding the scene with Meg at the party, I didn't take it as a flirt... To me it seemed like a young boy watching someone he thinks of as an older sister and a friend, who acts differently and absurdly. And his character is not well fined enough to understand how hurtful his words were to her at that specific moment. He spoke his mind without filter, hurt someone he loved and regretted it immediately. He was young, you know. What's interesting, is how he finds feathers and dancing somewhat distasteful, but adores Amy who dedicated her life to becoming to most feminine, feather covered, practiced dancing young lady. When it's her, it's charming. Isn't that funny? 😉 I guess he had some growing up to do. Figuring some things about him. What he actually likes and what opinions he took for himself simply because at the time he adored someone who thinks that way.... They touched on the gambling and the drinking in front of Jo, and when he went spiraling over Europe after her regecting him. He tells both Jo (begging) and Amy (drunken joking) how he would be a "Saint" for them. He changes everything about himself that he thinks Jo would want before he confesses his love to her. But with Amy, he tries to scare her away, almost... And when he does change, it's because he understands wha it is that *he* wants. Not mimicking someone else's dream. Not because Amy expects it of him. But because he wishes to be better. I just think his character is amazing. The movie itself is fine, not crazy good for me. The first half I found myself becoming emotional simply because of the memory of how the book was emotional to read, not for the actors performances. The second half was better. I, however, dislike this movie's version of Fridrich.
I subbed because your choice to react to LITTLE WOMAN struck me speechless for a while-- GO FIGURE! But you all sold me with your reactions-- sincere, often insightful, although you all clearly never read the book or saw (except one of you) any of the half dozen or so film adaptations of the novel. Thank you for a worthwhile hour!! See you all again!
I honestly highly recommend the 2017 bbc miniseries of Little Women too. In my opinion it does a wonderful job of showing, not telling, really demonstrates Jo and Laurie as a sibling-esque relationship (and it's made more clear that Jo only considered saying yes to Laurie because she was lonely), it demonstrates Marmee's struggles and character with much more depth than any other adaptation, I actually like Laurie's character in it, Jo is so delightfully awkward, Beth's and Meg's characters get the development and explorations they usually don't get, there's just so much I could say about it. It has its downsides, but I consider it a strong and wonderful adaptation up there with the 1995 and 2019 movies.
It's so interesting to hear the 1994 version referred to as the "old" Little Women. I wonder whether you would consider watching the 1933 and 1949 versions.
I think it's interesting how 'present' is blue tinted and 'past' is yellow tinted, except at the end with the school is also yellow tinted, and Fredrich is in that future... it makes me think that the yellow-tinted scenes are what she wrote about and in reality, she didn't chase Fredrich, only wrote him into the end so it could be published.
The “bell hop” outfit that Laurie wears while ice skating is actually based on what people are depicted wearing for ice skating at the time. During the Victorian Era, the wealthier you were, the more you would change your dress based on what you were doing because clothing was so expensive.
You guys should DEFINETLY watch Lady bird. It has the same actress who played Jo in this film, the same actor who played Laurie, and is directed by the same director of Little Women. It's an incredible film.
Awesome video!! Love the story Little Women. Jo is my favorite character from the book\movie. I will have to watch more of your reaction videos for other movies!!🙂👍🔥
People went fairly over the moon with Florence because she's glorious as always, but Saoirse gave the performance of a lifetime, never more layered and complex with her acting range... Just beautiful. Plus I can't take it away from my mind... An awkward and bearded Adam Driver would've be a great Friedrich Bhaer
I just upgraded my Patreon membership and saw you guys had reacted to this I love this movie and what Greta gerwig dud with this adaptation a brilliant female director can’t wait to see what she does with that barbie movie with Margot Robbie next year also love me some Timothy chalamet a true upcoming talent love everything he’s been in so far from dune call me by your name beautiful boy I predict Oscar’s in his future loved the reaction keep up the great work
Frederich was in the 94 version, played by Gabriel Byrne and they end up married in that version too. Due to the editing and time jumps we don’t get to see as much of him, well you do in the very beginning, but not much in the end. I think they did show their connection well then.
I haven't see the '49 movie yet but I love both this one and '94 for completely different reasons! I love this one as a movie or stand alone, it is just an impeccable piece of film making. I love '94 because it is so warm and goes perfectly with the book. It is just so comforting.
I’ve seen all versions but the one with Winona and Christian which I would love to see next but this one was cute, I also liked the prime series on Amazon with Maya hawke from stranger things which apparently was her first role and it was pretty good
Jane had the same problem as Jo, to publish her books she had to marry the female lead, so Jo doesn't actually marry anyone this is just Jane doing what "Jo did" which is writing an ending to please the publisher.
From Medscape: Historically, scarlet fever resulted in death in 15-20% of those affected. However, scarlet fever is no longer associated with the deadly epidemics that made it so feared in the 1800s. Since the advent of antibiotic therapy, the mortality rate for scarlet fever has been less than 1%.
i love this movie so fucking much. the cast was truly impeccable and ill never not love it. i will say though, the thing with laurie is that when he was young and "in love" with jo he wasn't able to differentiate platonic love from real love. when he finally was able to differentiate the two he realized the love he had for jo was platonic and that he would always love her in that way while the love he had for amy was not platonic, it was true, real love and he didn't feel that kind of love with jo. jo never loved laurie in any way but platonic but she wanted to be loved so badly that should would have been with him if she had the chance years later. laurie was overprotective of jo at the end because she is his best friend and his wife's sister so he would have been skeptical and overprotective no matter what man was interested in her. this film is so beautifully made and i love the way they adapted the story from the book and original film. it is a beautiful nod to the author and the themes of feminism like the struggle between two emphases in a young woman's life, that which she places on herself, and that which she places on her family. i loved watching this video and review so much!
There’s currently a modern loose kdrama adaptation of little women on Netflix with the same name!! Only 6 episodes are out so far but it’s INCREDIBLE!!!! worth a watch for sure
Louisa May Alcott was very probably member of LBTQ+ (it's hard to now as at that times well... it was hard and nobody spoke about things like that) and it was really not her plan when writing Little Women to marry off Jo but yeah, a publisher really just "told" her either to kill her her heroine or kill her off. That's why at least IMHO the ending, Jo getting her man, seems so cheesy and not natural, as it was really included only because the publisher insisted. As you said - it's just random - in the book as well as in any adaptation.... Also it is true that the publisher refused the novel first - because well who would read about silly girly lives - and only after his daughters find the manuscript and loved it, he gave it a second look. Also while we are on the topic of female lead movies, could you maybe check out Promising Young Woman - heavy stuff but great movie...
I think that with the end of the movie Greta is implying that Jo didn't get married in the end and that the "umbrella chapter" was just what had to be put in the book for the publisher and not what happened in real life.
@@l.vlogs26 Exactly! It's so frustrating to see characters' and people's lack of interest in relationships blown off as impossible or nonexistent. Ace and aro people are very real and just as valid as anyone else, as are people who aren't aspec but still don't want marriage or other relationships.
@@ShadowsintheEyes Thankyou for agreeing!. If anyone can relate to Jo you will understand how it had nothing to do with Jo secretly being a lesbian lol. Jo knows how to love but not romantically. Time after time we see her love for her sisters, mother, platonic love for Laurie. She could’ve been scared or didn’t like how her social structures suppressed women. Also she didn’t know if she could find a balance between her career/goals and being a wife. She probably thought she had to 100% commit to being a wife for it to work out. Hence why she tells laurie it wouldn’t work out cause of her writing. Also I’ve known people who never thought they would marry but then find a person they want to marry and it all works out. So I think it’s great that the movie added that rain scene. That in the real world there would be a possibility for jo to change her mind when the right person comes along
I read this book when I was so young that I'd never heard of the US or why their father wasn't there. Like every young girl who read this book I wanted to be Jo. This is a good version. As I remember Fred wasn't impressed by her first efforts at writing because she didn't write from the heart. Her later attempts were much more acceptable.
Zach you did not just stick up for Amy for burning Jo’s work? Amy was such a whiney little brat and jealous of Jo when she was younger, her burning her work was cruel, she could have burned a favorite pair of socks rather than her work even though during war times I’m sure clothing was tough to come by. But I’m sure she could of paid her back in a different way
the thing is, jo wasn't the one who didn't invite amy to the play. laurie had only invited jo and meg, so bringing her along with no ticket would have been rude.
i don’t believe jo was ever in love with laurie. she wanted so badly to be loved that she regretted turning him down and was willing to settle. she was definitely right when she said they would be miserable because the things they wanted in life were completely different.
Yes, 100% agree
I think she saw him as a best friend or brother since she didn't have any brothers and only sisters.
@@wowso4 i agree!!
It seemed to me that she did love him but the idea about marriage and what happens to women (giving up all personal ambition) in their time was so sad and gloomy for her that she was actively against feeling those things for him. Same way she was trying to steer Meg from love and marriage. His absence and seeing Meg and Brooke later on fighting for each other and still finding happiness in each other seemed to add to her changing view of marriage and a wife. I think if they married and he didn't stand in the way of her dream to being a writer, it could've been successful. I also think that she saw him as a best friend but people feel that way about their partners a lot of the times. I think in the end, when they're grown up, she wasn't right for him. Amy was. But he could've been right for her.
Jo represents the author and it's believed the author was actually gay in real life which makes sense as to why she wouldn't want to marry Lauri or at all.
jo marries frederick in the book and in the 90's movie. he's an older guy who is really good for her, but they changed that story in this version.. because they believed that the author had those original intentions. but like Jo, she was forced to write an ending with marriage. so they mirror that in this movie to honor the author.
Yeah, well they were wrong. LMA wrote the professor as Jo’s equal. He loved Jo for the feminist she was … and if LMA didn’t want that, she would not have written Little Men!
@@rachel-in-the-208 She did want Jo to remain single. Book readers wrote letters wanting Jo to marry Laurie. LMA said she wouldn't marry Jo to Laurie to please anyone and created Professor Bhaer for her. The character of Nan in Jo's Boys (third--or fourth, technically, as Little Women was originally two books--hence the ability for girls to weigh in on Jo and Laurie) rejects the suitor who crushes on her from childhood and is a happily single doctor.
But Alcott really thought little of the March family chronicles and preferred her thrillers, which I recommend reading also.
Alcott based Bhaer on a man who she loved and lost in her real life. Whether she originally wanted Jo to end up single or not, she definitely in the end wanted her to be with Bhaer, giving Jo the wish fulfillment that she herself would never get because her beloved died. Contrary to popular belief, she did NOT create Bhaer just to spite readers.
The fact that they cut out Amy’s speech is a crime
FR
True!!!!!!
Came here just to make sure someone pointed this out.
no LITERALLY I got so mad like shhhh and LISTEN TO THE MONOLOGUE.
I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT
I think when Laurie meets Amy in Paris, he's shaken a bit by how much she's grown up and by comparison how much he hasn't. He's always been a bit of a flirt and very swayed by his emotions. So when he told her not to marry Fred it was half his indulgent side stroking his own ego and half genuinely knowing that she wouldn't be happy with Fred if she didn't really love him. So he really took her rant to heart and I think after that he truly did love her.
A big part of the book is all the characters striving to better themselves and overcome their vices, so each of the marriages reflect that. Meg marries a poor man which is a challenge to her vanity. Jo marries instead of pursuing the fame she wanted from a writing career. Amy is determined so gives Laurie purpose and direction, and Laurie provides passion and silliness. Jo and Laurie don't complement each other's vices in the same way, so they wouldn't have worked together. And Beth is already perfect so she dies lmao
The perfect description of each character lol
not the beth one 😂😭💀
also in the movie it goes by quite fast but in the book it's more portrayed how laurie and amy build a relationship through letters
Agree except for Jo "settling" with Frederick, she changes her dream of success for one more down to earth, opening a school and helping tons of young boys and girls as we see later in Little Men. I think it is a nice touch by the author.
Jo does continue with her writing career in the books and is plagued by autograph hunters in Jo's Boys, who often wrote for autographs more than once and sold them.
Boy and girls can be childhood friends without it being romantic. Laurie treats the girls the way he does because he knows them. And the girls know him too.
He loves all of them, but not all of them romantically. He likes the idea of him and Jo, and he loves Jo, but he doesn't *love* Jo. Not truly fully romantically. Amy is who he catches true feelings for.
I think he loved Jo romantically but it changed later. This is what he says in the book, I think, basically, in the "love is altered" scene. I don't remember how they do it in this adaptation, though.
You definitely don’t understand how boys and men think or feel.
So Laurie is unhappy in his home life and that’s why he’s so in love with the March Sisters as a unit. His parents are dead and while his grandfather is a good person, they weren’t close for the longest of time, because he had disapproved of his Italian mother. He wants that warm family. Jo is his best friend and as such, he transferred feelings of love onto her at a young age. Now, he’s realized romantically, he’s fallen in love with Amy. But honestly, I don’t think he could fall in love with anyone but a March sister.
Yeap, that was his standard lol
Yup thinking bout that one like in the trilogy where they said something like if Beth hadnt died he probably wouldve married her-
That's the impression I got, too. He really only 'saw' the March sisters, it was only a matter of who he connected with, but he mistakenly believed it was Jo because she is the 'bridge' that brought him into that family. Man was seriously lost in Europe without the girls' presence
and influence.
i think the thing about this version is that it goes back and forth so much between the past & present, that it makes it seem like laurie goes back and forth a lot between amy and jo (so he seems like he's playing them both). but the actual chronological timeline in the film is basically him falling in love with jo (while amy's a few years younger so he doesnt see her that way), then jo turns him down so he's heartbroken in paris, and that's when he starts to get over it and fall for amy (quite a few years later & he sees her in a new way now she's grown up) and realise that jo was right. (although in the 1994 version it more seemed like laurie and amy came out of nowhere, so i do actually prefer this version its just kind of confusing when you first see it and the timeline jumps forwards & backwards so much)
To be fair the boom goes back and forward in time too
@@laurajaynenolan2149 The boom?
@@HuntingViolets ah! The book* damn it haha
This version was horrid for those very reasons
Yeah I only completely understood both of Laurie’s relationship storylines after watching the movie a few times over. For me it didn’t come across that well in the first watch
It hurts the way almost no one understands Jo. She’s literally like the MAIN MAIN CHARACTER. 😭
Of course Jo is the main character. The author of the little women books was Louisa May Alcott and like Jo, she was a writer.
I honest relate to Jo a lot. I have always hated the idea of marriage and i was so sure that i won't ever get married. But as the time flew and all my friends and cousins got married and started their own family, it's started to get a little lonely. It got to the point where i somewhat considered marrying. I don't think Jo really loved Laurie. She was just feeling lonely.
Oh do u still feel the same
I think she did love Laurie, but was afraid of marriage and its consequences. Back in the days, it meant total loss of identity. She burried her feelings. But with maturity, and realising that things aren't quite black and white, she eventually chose to write a love letter to Laurie and confess her love (she didn't write to the french/german professor).
Loved this reaction but was slightly disappointed that you didn’t show your reaction to Amy’s speech about what it means to be a woman in that time. It was the part that made me love her as a character.
I know some people like the guy Jo ends up with but to me it was very obviously the ending she was forced to add by the publisher and real Jo ends up alone.
I read somewhere years ago that since she was forced to add Frederick, at least she created someone that could meet her expectations, so he is an older and not goodlooking teacher who defies her intellectually and I think that is so dope of Alcott to do.
Yup!
It never seemed to me that Frederich was written as an afterthought. He came to visit Jo and gradually makes friends with the whole family, who like him very much. The readers are given a hint as to why he is visiting Jo, and it's no surprise.
I love that the flashback has that golden orange bright color to it. Not just to show that when you’re young everything is brighter, but also to show that was when Beth was alive. She definitely was a light in all of their lives. And then when she’s gone they are in the present and it’s more dull and blue in color. Because their light is gone. 😢but at the very end when they’re all together at this new school it’s bright golden orange again which is moving on after Beth and welcoming a more brighter future
one thing i will never get over is how they never told amy that beth got worse and she never got to say goodbye, and later on jo is mad about it even though it was not amy’s fault.
I think the girls feel like home to Laurie. He feels comfort and warmth and joy just being in their presence so he loves them all in a way.
Timothée Chalamet is just so charming and I love his chemistry with Saoirse Roman.
I'm so glad you all enjoyed and appreciated this so much, being 3 male reactors and this being "Little Women". You're all thoughtful and insightful and funny and bring a unique perspective!
Gah. You left out my favorite parts, the two monologues delivered by Amy and Jo. I love when Amy reads Laurie the riot act about his scorn for her pursuing a loveless marriage; I appreciate that she has the confidence to confront his poor attitude and make it quite clear exactly what the world is like for women compared with men. And then I feel for Jo so much when she's talking with her mother and crying about how tired she is of seeing women thought of and portrayed as good for nothing more than romance, because I feel that every day. I'm aspec and very happily single, and I get so tired of every piece of media available to me ensuring that women end up in some variety of relationship with no allowance for representation of people who very passionately do not want such a path in life.
Completely agree, those are my two favourites speeches in the movie. I found this so annoying how they just talked Completely over Amy's speech.
@@ashleighh472 cause they are men :p (kidding).
"Meryl who?" - I audibly gasped.
Laurie genuinely cares about all the sisters and he's known them so long that he's very honest about his thoughts and comfortable with them. But his real love was Jo and Jo turned him down. Years later seeing Amy all grown up, he is now attracted to her. He really ever like only 2 of the sisters. Jo first and later Amy. But he happens to be very charming which looks like he's flirting with all of them but really he's just a friend to the family and cares about the sisters.
Jo and Amy were both real loves.
I absolutely love this film, it’s so beautifully executed. Definitely one of the best period films. And Florence was incredible.
I don’t think Laurie would have gotten together with Jo though. They grew up together being best friends and so he thought he was in love with her. But he said it himself, it’s different with Amy. His feelings for Amy probably made him realise that while he definitely loved Jo he wasn’t in love with her. It was probably just a weird boyish fixation. And even if he did, you can fall out of love with people. I mean it took Laurie a long time to figure out his feelings for Amy which I think just shows that his feelings really are genuine.
Side note, it’s pronounced Saoirse like inertia. :D
Amy: "I'm going to Europe!"
Me after watching Midsommar: "The Hell you are!"
If you notice the last few scenes with the umbrella and the school are in the warmer filter, so they have that idyllic feel and I think it implies that Jo did not marry, that was just the ending she wrote for the publisher. The real ending of the film imo is her as an unmarried "spinster" writer.
I actually liked Friedrich in the book though and it develops him a lot as her equal in mind and philosophy, though he's described as not attractive and much older (like 40ish) and he also deters her from making a living through writing... which is a whole complicated thing to really dissect because of the religious overtones of the book. Laurie is more brotherly and yearns to be part of the family, he really loves all of them. I love him and Jo as friends so I like the Amy romance. This film did a great job of prepping the audience for the romances, because other versions and the book really would make you think Jo and Laurie would definitely get together 😄
Well said! I would also like to add that I believe the play with the color grading is meant to symbolize how we see life as children compared with adulthood, and how the added responsabilities of life, tragedy, disappointments etc can sometimes make adult life seem cold, dreary, and devoid from that happiness and hope that seemed to color every moment of our childhood. And I feel like the beauty in the message of this film, lies in the ending: we see the color of childhood come back now that they're adults, perhaps telling us that even though adulthood is full of disappointments and hardships, if we find a way to persevere through our pain, we'll see that that warmth is not lost and it CAN come back to our lives, in a different way, if we keep the people that we love close to us and support one another through our respective hardships.
Lmao the moment of realization on y’all’s faces when Laurie said “my wife” the way we’re all laughing through the awkwardness I can’ttt
Scarlet fever is still very much a thing, although rare. My brother had it as a child. It's kind of similar to strep throat but with added red rash, it's caused by bacteria. Nowadays it's easy to cure it thanks to antibiotics but back in the day not everyone had the immune system strong enough to beat it. In Beth's case she likely died from complications AFTER the scarlet fever. Even today if you don't treat infectious diseases (like flu etc.) properly you can have big problems with complications which a lot of times are heart diseases.
Jo and Laurie were soulmates. They make you feel things you haven't felt before, give you great memories and experiences, you learn so much from them and you admire them despite differences. Although you are destined to meet your soulmate in life, being with them is not guaranteed. Sometimes soulmates are platonic.
Laurie loved the Marsh because he doesn’t get that sorry of warmth and liveliness from his life. He needed them. It’s beautiful, Joe needed him but for different reasons. She needed to know someone could love her, even if she didn’t love him back.
The author of the book is an icon. She didn't marry. She was great. The book characters were changed because of editorial.
I don't think Laurie would get with Jo if he saw the letter, because of how he says to Jo that he realised the way he loves Amy is different but I get why you'd think that
This is such a comfort movie for me. I think it's just so phenomenally done.
In the book and previous movies, Amy could be seen as the villian, the spoiled little sister who burned Jo's book, got the trip to Europe that was promised to Jo, and married Laurie. This is the first movie to make Amy likeable.
Maybe you shoukd watch the episode of Friends where Joey reads Little Women.
Zuff: me and Rob have kissed this last new years
Rob: * absolutely no reaction *
😂
Wow Fleabag and Little Women in the same day ❤ Also fun fact, Jo is wearing Laurie's vest in the proposal scene, which makes it more sad!
Ugh I love Saoirse so much. She's resplendent in every film she's in.
9:06 this is the most accurate definition of his feelings, he loved the family, he liked everyone no just Jo, no just Amy but the whole family vibes, he said it in the books too 😂
Ppl typically don’t like the character of Amy in the book, but Greta G made her a more well rounded character in this version. Florence P’s acting doesn’t hurt either. I was initially thrown by the back and forth when I saw this version, but it works. The warm glow of the past scenes from Jo’s memory reflects the happiness of childhood and Jos wistfulness for when they were all together, things were easier….and of course Beth. Love that you guys were able to appreciate this gem of a film.
5:33 I literally said "uncultured" at the same time lmfao
i know this is so so late but just wanted to say because I couldn't find a comment about it but at 15:54 Jo says "Christopher Columbus look at that" and back then saying "Christopher Columbus" was comparable to "Oh My god" or "wow" it was slang from that time and she is referring to the giant portrait but it is confusing if you didnt know that because Timmy then says that its his grandfather which i why you guys were like huhhhh lololol
Perfect time to drop the video. People have been talking about how amazing it is for the past few weeks on Twitter.
Unlike most, I had never seen any of the older "Little Women" movies before watching this one.
I loved it! Such a great story and I enjoy all the story writing decisions. Seeing the actor who plays Saul was a surprise and took me out of it for a second, haha, but that's okay. A great story, well written, filmed by the crew and acted out by amazing actors. I'd watch this just to feel those fuzzy good vibes.
lol christopher columbus isn’t laurie’s grandfather, it’s just an expression like “oh my god” that jo says
A lot of this was filmed where I used to go to school and having the actors around was really weird and it was such a weird experience to watch esp since like the Alcott house and Laurie’s house are like a ten minute drive from each other but in the movie it’s edited so that they’re neighbors
It’s such a refreshing joy to watch you guys. It shouldn’t be rare for young men to be so considerate and respectful and supportive of women and media that some people would consider merely feminine. I’m not expressing myself very well. I don’t mean to imply that most men are bad. I just want you to know that I really appreciate you three and I love watching your reactions.
i can't believe yall didn't include both amy's monologue about marriage and wealth in their societal context and jo's monologue about loneliness THOSE ARE LIKE THEIR MAIN MOTIVES GUYS COME ONNNN
In case you're interested in the actual inflation rate, $50 would convert to approx. $1600 today, which given the realities of clothing of the era was not actually that much--about average. (For context, it's about what a large sack of salt would have cost)
I just appreciate y’all knowing the actress’s names I love it like yessss
I empathize with Jo, in real life and in little women. I also gave up someone who truly, unconditionally loved me for similar reasons as she expresses in this film. However over a decade later, I deeply regret my decision. Maybe unlike Jo, I believe I was wrong & that I chose wrong.
The story isn't about Laurie, but you could make a whole movie about him alone ❤️
You mentioned how he probably liked all 3 of the sisters at some point. Is that so hard to imagine?
It's a lonely boy, with no parents, living with his grandfather with whom he doesn't necessarily get along, neighbor to this family of emotional, brave, great young girls at different but close ages. Is it so impossible that he liked any of them at some point? Maybe a few at a time?
However, regarding the scene with Meg at the party, I didn't take it as a flirt... To me it seemed like a young boy watching someone he thinks of as an older sister and a friend, who acts differently and absurdly. And his character is not well fined enough to understand how hurtful his words were to her at that specific moment. He spoke his mind without filter, hurt someone he loved and regretted it immediately. He was young, you know.
What's interesting, is how he finds feathers and dancing somewhat distasteful, but adores Amy who dedicated her life to becoming to most feminine, feather covered, practiced dancing young lady. When it's her, it's charming. Isn't that funny? 😉
I guess he had some growing up to do. Figuring some things about him. What he actually likes and what opinions he took for himself simply because at the time he adored someone who thinks that way....
They touched on the gambling and the drinking in front of Jo, and when he went spiraling over Europe after her regecting him. He tells both Jo (begging) and Amy (drunken joking) how he would be a "Saint" for them. He changes everything about himself that he thinks Jo would want before he confesses his love to her. But with Amy, he tries to scare her away, almost... And when he does change, it's because he understands wha it is that *he* wants. Not mimicking someone else's dream. Not because Amy expects it of him. But because he wishes to be better.
I just think his character is amazing.
The movie itself is fine, not crazy good for me. The first half I found myself becoming emotional simply because of the memory of how the book was emotional to read, not for the actors performances. The second half was better.
I, however, dislike this movie's version of Fridrich.
I subbed because your choice to react to LITTLE WOMAN struck me speechless for a while-- GO FIGURE! But you all sold me with your reactions-- sincere, often insightful, although you all clearly never read the book or saw (except one of you) any of the half dozen or so film adaptations of the novel. Thank you for a worthwhile hour!! See you all again!
"...is that bob odenkirk???" literally me every time i watch this movie like it's just so unexpected xD
My favorite film of all time. I’m so glad you guys watched this!!! ❤️
I honestly highly recommend the 2017 bbc miniseries of Little Women too. In my opinion it does a wonderful job of showing, not telling, really demonstrates Jo and Laurie as a sibling-esque relationship (and it's made more clear that Jo only considered saying yes to Laurie because she was lonely), it demonstrates Marmee's struggles and character with much more depth than any other adaptation, I actually like Laurie's character in it, Jo is so delightfully awkward, Beth's and Meg's characters get the development and explorations they usually don't get, there's just so much I could say about it. It has its downsides, but I consider it a strong and wonderful adaptation up there with the 1995 and 2019 movies.
Yes, interesting version. Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke's daughter, Maya Hawke, is Jo. One of the better Bhaers if I recall correctly.
It's so interesting to hear the 1994 version referred to as the "old" Little Women. I wonder whether you would consider watching the 1933 and 1949 versions.
Anyone with lots of sisters, knows this is so accurate. Also Tim and Saiorse have great chemistry.
so excited to see your reaction to this one!! it surely is a story that I keep coming back to and Greta Gerwig's take on it is simply amazing
I love this movie soooo much! Thank you for reacting guys 😭
I think it's interesting how 'present' is blue tinted and 'past' is yellow tinted, except at the end with the school is also yellow tinted, and Fredrich is in that future... it makes me think that the yellow-tinted scenes are what she wrote about and in reality, she didn't chase Fredrich, only wrote him into the end so it could be published.
The “bell hop” outfit that Laurie wears while ice skating is actually based on what people are depicted wearing for ice skating at the time. During the Victorian Era, the wealthier you were, the more you would change your dress based on what you were doing because clothing was so expensive.
You guys should DEFINETLY watch Lady bird. It has the same actress who played Jo in this film, the same actor who played Laurie, and is directed by the same director of Little Women. It's an incredible film.
Awesome video!! Love the story Little Women. Jo is my favorite character from the book\movie. I will have to watch more of your reaction videos for other movies!!🙂👍🔥
Amy’s technically not “out” in society yet. That’s why she can’t go anywhere. It’s a debutante thing.
I love the really old version with June Allyson from 1949, but my teenage daughter enjoyed this.
People went fairly over the moon with Florence because she's glorious as always, but Saoirse gave the performance of a lifetime, never more layered and complex with her acting range... Just beautiful. Plus I can't take it away from my mind... An awkward and bearded Adam Driver would've be a great Friedrich Bhaer
I just upgraded my Patreon membership and saw you guys had reacted to this I love this movie and what Greta gerwig dud with this adaptation a brilliant female director can’t wait to see what she does with that barbie movie with Margot Robbie next year also love me some Timothy chalamet a true upcoming talent love everything he’s been in so far from dune call me by your name beautiful boy I predict Oscar’s in his future loved the reaction keep up the great work
This is one of my favorite movies!!!!! Thank you for doing this one it’s AMAZING!!! I so happy y’all enjoyed it!! :))
Definitely my favourite reaction channel right mow
Bryce's face 55:57 is priceless
Yeyy, FINALLY...😁💚💚❤️❤️ You three are like my online brothers.. Love you from Assam, India.
Timothee and Saoirse my fav duo. You guys need to watch Ladybird ( so sad about that saoirse didn’t get the Oscar for that btw )
15:54 his grandfather isn’t Christopher Columbus, it’s an exclamatory expression (softer version of saying something like Jesus Christ).
You must watch Emma with Anya Taylor Joy and also Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly.
Yesssss, please!
Yes please both, but especially Pride & Prejudice with Kiera Knightley, it is a perfect film
yesss
TURN IT UP!!! I’ve been waiting for this one!
He's not a snake. Besides his grandfather they're the only family's he,s got he's being protective.
Jo doesn't want her sisters to grow up and go separate ways and the family breaking up.
You can see May Alcott's artwork online. She was the inspiration for Amy.
I love the 90’s version. Winona Ryder and Christian Bale are Jo and Laurie, no one can replace them.
Frederich was in the 94 version, played by Gabriel Byrne and they end up married in that version too. Due to the editing and time jumps we don’t get to see as much of him, well you do in the very beginning, but not much in the end. I think they did show their connection well then.
I haven't seen this one but I love the '49 and '94 movies so I'm going to watch *your reaction first to see if this one is also my cup of tea.💛
I haven't see the '49 movie yet but I love both this one and '94 for completely different reasons!
I love this one as a movie or stand alone, it is just an impeccable piece of film making.
I love '94 because it is so warm and goes perfectly with the book. It is just so comforting.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeah! I can't believe you chose this movie. It's soooo good I can't even put into words
Their family home in the movie is a close copy of Louisa May Alcott's family home.
Zuff always thinks someone’s either dying or capping 😂
I’ve seen all versions but the one with Winona and Christian which I would love to see next but this one was cute, I also liked the prime series on Amazon with Maya hawke from stranger things which apparently was her first role and it was pretty good
omg I'm so happy u guys watched this movie one o my favorite!!
6:10 zuff keeps letting the intrusive thoughts win😔
Jane had the same problem as Jo, to publish her books she had to marry the female lead, so Jo doesn't actually marry anyone this is just Jane doing what "Jo did" which is writing an ending to please the publisher.
I am still obsessed with this book and also remember being shocked by the cost of women's clothing in those times.
From Medscape: Historically, scarlet fever resulted in death in 15-20% of those affected. However, scarlet fever is no longer associated with the deadly epidemics that made it so feared in the 1800s. Since the advent of antibiotic therapy, the mortality rate for scarlet fever has been less than 1%.
i love this movie so fucking much. the cast was truly impeccable and ill never not love it. i will say though, the thing with laurie is that when he was young and "in love" with jo he wasn't able to differentiate platonic love from real love. when he finally was able to differentiate the two he realized the love he had for jo was platonic and that he would always love her in that way while the love he had for amy was not platonic, it was true, real love and he didn't feel that kind of love with jo. jo never loved laurie in any way but platonic but she wanted to be loved so badly that should would have been with him if she had the chance years later. laurie was overprotective of jo at the end because she is his best friend and his wife's sister so he would have been skeptical and overprotective no matter what man was interested in her. this film is so beautifully made and i love the way they adapted the story from the book and original film. it is a beautiful nod to the author and the themes of feminism like the struggle between two emphases in a young woman's life, that which she places on herself, and that which she places on her family. i loved watching this video and review so much!
Really fun reaction. Would be interesting to see a comparison to the 90s version (my personal favorite)
You three are like the March sisters. There is something positive, good aura around you.. 💕🕊️😁
There’s currently a modern loose kdrama adaptation of little women on Netflix with the same name!! Only 6 episodes are out so far but it’s INCREDIBLE!!!! worth a watch for sure
Louisa May Alcott was very probably member of LBTQ+ (it's hard to now as at that times well... it was hard and nobody spoke about things like that) and it was really not her plan when writing Little Women to marry off Jo but yeah, a publisher really just "told" her either to kill her her heroine or kill her off. That's why at least IMHO the ending, Jo getting her man, seems so cheesy and not natural, as it was really included only because the publisher insisted. As you said - it's just random - in the book as well as in any adaptation....
Also it is true that the publisher refused the novel first - because well who would read about silly girly lives - and only after his daughters find the manuscript and loved it, he gave it a second look.
Also while we are on the topic of female lead movies, could you maybe check out Promising Young Woman - heavy stuff but great movie...
Or she just didn’t want to be in a relationship lol
I think that with the end of the movie Greta is implying that Jo didn't get married in the end and that the "umbrella chapter" was just what had to be put in the book for the publisher and not what happened in real life.
@@l.vlogs26 Exactly! It's so frustrating to see characters' and people's lack of interest in relationships blown off as impossible or nonexistent. Ace and aro people are very real and just as valid as anyone else, as are people who aren't aspec but still don't want marriage or other relationships.
@@ShadowsintheEyes Thankyou for agreeing!. If anyone can relate to Jo you will understand how it had nothing to do with Jo secretly being a lesbian lol. Jo knows how to love but not romantically. Time after time we see her love for her sisters, mother, platonic love for Laurie. She could’ve been scared or didn’t like how her social structures suppressed women. Also she didn’t know if she could find a balance between her career/goals and being a wife. She probably thought she had to 100% commit to being a wife for it to work out. Hence why she tells laurie it wouldn’t work out cause of her writing. Also I’ve known people who never thought they would marry but then find a person they want to marry and it all works out. So I think it’s great that the movie added that rain scene. That in the real world there would be a possibility for jo to change her mind when the right person comes along
I read this book when I was so young that I'd never heard of the US or why their father wasn't there. Like every young girl who read this book I wanted to be Jo. This is a good version. As I remember Fred wasn't impressed by her first efforts at writing because she didn't write from the heart. Her later attempts were much more acceptable.
After "Little Women" comes "Little Men", then "Jo's Boys" and "These Happy Golden Years". I actually like "Little Men" and "JO's Boys" better.
26:26 "she called herself mid" lmao
What a legendary movie wow. The cast is top tier
Zach you did not just stick up for Amy for burning Jo’s work? Amy was such a whiney little brat and jealous of Jo when she was younger, her burning her work was cruel, she could have burned a favorite pair of socks rather than her work even though during war times I’m sure clothing was tough to come by. But I’m sure she could of paid her back in a different way
You guys should definitely check out Anne with an E at some point. I’ll think you’ll really like it!
the thing is, jo wasn't the one who didn't invite amy to the play. laurie had only invited jo and meg, so bringing her along with no ticket would have been rude.
I feel like the non-linear storytelling in this version takes away a lot of the surprise in things.
As a 90s kid I prefer the Winona Ryder version. Always enjoy your reactions though 😁 cheers guys from your kiwi viewer! 🎬🎭🇳🇿🌿