Parents' Guide to

Little Women

By S. K. List, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Lovely Alcott adaptation tugs at the heartstrings.

Movie PG 1994 115 minutes
Little Women Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 9+

Based on 9 parent reviews

SierraAmie
SierraAmie Parent of 7-year-old
April 8, 2015
age 6+

One of my favorite movies! Good for young kids too!

I am surprised the site has given this movie such a high age recommendation. My daughter has been watching this movie since she was 5 years old and she loves it. And my daughter is very sensitive to violence and trauma, so much that she can't watch Finding Nemo or Free Willy. The story definitely has some hard scenes - with Amy falling into the icy pond and Beth dying - but overall the story is just so sweet and innocent - and I love the values that are conveyed especially for young women. My favorite scene is when Marmy is brushing Jo's hair and they are all talking about the desire to be beautiful and rich and have multiple suitors compared to Marmy's perspective that you be valued for your mind and virtue and her girls thinking "that's all they are." I also appreciate the movie showing the girls being good friends with Laurie (a young man) since most stories of mixed-gender relationships are mostly romantic, silly, rude, or even conflicted. It's rare to find movies that address these issues for girls in contrast to all the Disney princess movies that focus on beauty, riches & male attention as if those are the primary considerations for a girls' life. Little Women is beautifully acted (all-star cast: Susan Sarandon, Christian Bale, Claire Danes, Daniel Byrne, Kirsten Dunst), beautifully filmed, wonderful soundtrack, etc. Can't say enough about the value of your kids getting to know this movie!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
2 people found this helpful.
h.bloomenthal
h.bloomenthal Adult
April 3, 2019
age 13+

Almost as good as the book!

Family movie night. We loved it, especially after reading the book. This version, unlike the one that Common Sense Media gives it's prestige 'family rating' to, has the girls matching the ages of the book - they look right, and act right, and the whole film is wonderful!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

LITTLE WOMEN is not so much about what happens to the March family as about who they are. Their parties, meals, chores, games, romances are hardly high drama but, through individual personalities, they illustrate the highest human values: love, family, selflessness, loyalty. Known to be innovative thinkers, the Marches -- as one character observes -- had "views."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9):
Kids say (25):

Acting upon those views in day-to-day life, the girls capture our attention and, more, stir our souls. Excited about such holiday luxuries as a bit of butter and an orange, they give them up to feed an even poorer family. The gifted Claire Danes delivers a touching, very real, portrayal as Beth. When she dies, it's painful and viewers share the family's loss. Likewise, the climactic reunion between Jo and her professor is deeply moving. Rarely is such a low-key movie so uplifting. Meaning springs from the unaffected performances, the believable tensions among the sisters, the realistic contrast of their varied goals, and forthright, simple statements of authentically virtuous character. Lovely settings frame the story perfectly.

No pretense is made about the purity of the world in which the Marches live. As women, they confront and cope with second-class status, especially the free-thinking Jo. But society's flaws just reinforce the integrity the Marches bring to it. For a breath of fresh air that's anything but old-fashioned, choose Little Women.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Little Women compares to Louisa May Alcott's novel. Which do you like better? Why?

  • When Jo says she is "hopelessly flawed" do you agree? What were the traits valued in girls back then and how have things changed?

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