Opening This Week: Little Women, Uncut Gems, Spies in Disguise
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
Like the tradition many families celebrate of going to the movies on Christmas Day, the story of the March sisters is a long-celebrated tale of determination. In her follow-up to the Oscar-nominated Lady Bird, director/writer Greta Gerwig breathes new life into the American classic, Little Women. Filmed on location in the very town where the novel’s writer, Louisa May Alcott, grew up, the 2019 film finds similar footing as the beloved 1994 adaptation.
Saoirse Ronan delivers a poignant performance as Jo March, the film’s heroine. Her supporting cast is also full of indelible performers, including her fellow March sisters Emma Watson (Meg), Eliza Scanlan (Beth), and Florence Pugh (who steals every scene as Amy). Laura Dern and Meryl Streep make appearances, while Timothée Chalamet is every bit the perfect Laurie.
The film has earned mostly positive reviews, especially for its refreshing take on its source material and its cast. In fact, North Dakota Film Society’s Greg Carlson calls the film “a perfectly wrapped and beribboned Christmas gift as welcome as a steaming cup of cocoa after a frosty skate around the local frozen pond.” The few naysayers of the film remark that Gerwig’s take relies too heavily on a predisposed understanding of the novel, especially in regards to how Gerwig has chosen to cut the film.
Awards season has been kind to the film with Ronan earning a Golden Globe nomination. If all goes well, this version of Little Women could become a staple of the holiday season for years to come.
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Adam Sandler is earning the highest praise of his career for the Josh and Benny Safdie film, Uncut Gems. As Howard, a New York City jeweler who gets himself mixed up with owing money to the wrong people, Sandler shines by offering many of the traits for which he’s becoming famous, but adding a level of brevity never before seen. He’s funny and sincere, but greasy and disarming.
The Safdies have been laying the groundwork for this, their masterpiece effort, so far, throughout their past projects. Their grit in storytelling was most recently noticed in Good Time, but it’s in Uncut Gems where their flavor really takes form. The movie is weird, but compelling. It’s hardcore, but still settled. It’s brutal, but worthwhile. It pulls out all the stops, but never reveals anything too soon, leaving on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Critics have been giving the film high remarks, noting the Safdies aesthetic as being an important key in the film’s success, while also calling out newcomer Julia Fox as a standout for the film. Uncut Gems is not a family film, per se, but it would serve as ideal counter-programming than your typical holiday fare. If you’re looking for something to talk about around the Christmas table, this is the film that will help.
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Most pundits are guessing Frozen II will fill the younger, family-friendly crowd, though animated adventure comedy, Spies in Disguise will be hoping to earn at least somewhat of a solid box office. With lead voices by Will Smith and Tom Holland, the star power could help it reach its goals.
Smith stars as spy Lance Sterling. Holland is scientist Walter Beckett. Due to an unexpected turn, the duo must join forces and transform Lance into a brave pigeon. Supporting voices are supplied by Rashida Jones, Rachel Brosnahan, and Reba McEntire.
Critics have been mostly positive, saying kids will definitely love the whimsy of the comedy and the flashiness of the animation. And Smith’s and Holland’s voice work also earns top nods.
