Movie tip

Little Women

Greta Gerwig has done it again. After writing and directing the singular "Lady Bird," Gerwig has turned her sights to the beloved-by-generations-of-girls novel "Little Women." It's a big success. Gerwig adapted the Louisa May Alcott classic and makes it all feel very vital. Jo is even more independent than in past versions, and Amy, often presented as a flibbertigibbet, gets a thoughtful presentation; she has a fiercely moving speech about how women at the time (late 1800s) had no financial independence. Gerwig has toyed with the timeline, to great effect, by starting with the characters as adults and diving back in time as Jo reflects on her younger years. Saoirse Ronan captures Jo's sharp intelligence and headstrong nature, and Florence Pugh has a star-making turn as Amy. Best of all (no surprise here) is Meryl Streep, who plays the March girls' tart-talking aunt. She delivers one-liners like an American version of Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess on "Downton Abbey."