So I really loved Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, and when I heard that she was coming out with a Little Women movie, I went off to read the book in advance of watching it. And then, obnoxiously, the movie stayed as a $19.99 purchase-only thing for like legitimately multiple years, and they never released a 4K Blu-ray, and so it sort of fell out of my mind.

But recently, as part of our apparent effort to subscribe to every possible streaming service, we subscribed to Starz and it turned out it was on there, so yahtzee. (Annoyingly, though, only in HD/SDR, so… small straight? But hey, it’s free, so I guess I’ll put up with it.)

Anyway! So the thing that most impressed me about the movie is how much it felt like it captured the book (even down to the sometimes-moralizing feeling), despite absolutely not being a straight adaptation. What Gerwig (who is also the sole credited screenwriter) does here is to tell the story completely out of order. So we start off events that are nearer the end of the book, then kind of jump back into golden-hued days of childhood (labelled as “7 years earlier,” but using the same actresses, who I think are just made to look younger with hairstyles and makeup?). The first jump is explicit, and then as the movie goes on, the jumps are made faster and more loosely, driving home parallels and almost doing reaction shots across time.

I thought this worked well, but also I did have the benefit of already knowing the story from the book. I’m actually curious now as to how comprehensible it would all be if a viewer hadn’t read it — without knowing who everyone is, and where scenes fit together in time, would it be clear? I think so, but can’t swear to it.

There’s also a meta-element to the adaptation, with Jo being cast as the writer of the semi-autobiographical Little Women, and some discussion with the editor around Jo’s romantic ending, and whether it’s right for her, famously a topic of debate in the real world. Though, it should be noted, the movie’s Professor Bhaer is a lot more age-appropriate, and hotter, than the book’s version.

Which oh yeah, that reminds me that one of the big strengths here is the cast: Florence Pugh as Amy, Saoirse Ronan as Jo, Emma Watson as Meg, Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March. It’s such an all-star cast that it almost sounds like more of a fan casting suggestion than real life. And it really works: With a few facial expressions, Streep adds a level of complexity to Aunt March’s character that I don’t think the book quite managed. And Pugh plays such a compelling Amy that you really believe Laurie seeing her in Paris and having to rethink his relationship to her.

Long story short, excellent adaptation, easily recommended to anyone who’s read the book — and if you see it without having read the book, report back on how well it worked for you.