Top Five Reasons Why Little Women 2019 is the Perfect Fall Movie

Little Women 2019 is my favorite movie of all time, and if you’ve ever met me, I have no doubt shared with you this detail. I regularly carry around a tote bag with the Jo and Laurie proposal scene transcribed across it, so let’s just say I’m a pretty big fan. Greta Gerwig just gets how to make movies, particularly ones which speak to the female experience. So, if you have not seen her sophomore film, here are five reasons why fall is the perfect time for you to have your first watch of Little Women. 

1. Period films are universally associated with fall, and Little Women is a period film with a modern twist. While the characters are certainly bound by the restrictions of the time in which they live, they act in a way I’m sure many of us can relate to today. Not to mention, the love stories are totally swoon-worthy, and might even break your heart a little. What’s fall without a new fictional couple to obsess over, am I right?

2. The color scheme of the movie is genuinely perfect for fall. Greta Gerwig has shared that the tone and lighting were a big tool for her when filming Little Women. The movie regularly switches between childhood and adulthood, and Gerwig shows this through color. The childhood scenes feature a more golden glow to reflect the warmth and wistfulness of growing up, while the adulthood scenes showcase cooler tones to reflect the independence and reality of getting older. 

3. Speaking from personal experience, as I have introduced many of my friends to this film, Little Women is perfect for a girls’ night. While the film showcases the relationship between sisters, the lessons taught can just as easily apply to a group of friends. In college, when you are meeting friends with many different aspirations and future life paths, the following Meg March quote rings especially true: “Just because my dreams are different than yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.” With more messages like this in store for you, grab some warm blankets, hot chocolate, or apple cider, and get ready to share some joy with your girl friends.

4. With the success of Barbie this summer, Greta Gerwig’s talents were introduced to a much wider audience. For new fans of Gerwig, I think Little Women is the perfect film to add to their watchlist. While the period piece based on a beloved novel and the offbeat comedy based on a bestselling toy may not have that much in common on the surface, there are many similar themes between the works. If you loved America Ferrera’s monologue on the complexities of women, you’re sure to be a fan of what many Gerwig fans call its precursor, Saorsie Ronan’s monologue as Jo March. There are also the shared themes of motherhood, family, dealing with change, and cultivating your own path in life despite what society thinks you should be doing. 

5. The ending of the film is one of my favorite parts. I don’t want to spoil too much since you definitely will be watching the movie, but the ending is rather interpretive. Little Women was branded and advertised with the tagline “own your story,” and this ending gives viewers the opportunity to do just that. Especially for college students who are often caught in the rights and wrongs of grading scales and tests, it is nice to watch a movie that gives viewers an authentic sense of storytelling autonomy that encourages them to “own their story” in real life too.