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MsKateHepburn
Reviews
Little Women (1933)
Fun and sweet, if a bit corny at times
Personally, I could watch Katharine Hepburn do nothing but play hopscotch all day and be happy, so I may not be the most objective commentator, but I will do my best.
This movie starts out very sweetly (a bit too sweetly) and comes off as quite stagey and over-the top at times, especially towards the beginning. Most of the Marches are too old for their roles, which is a bit distracting. (I still cringe a bit at the thought of Marmee kissing a 25-year-old Hepburn good night and tucking her into bed...shudder.) However, the movie picks up quickly enough, and is generally fun and enjoyable, if a bit sugary. Hepburn makes an adorable Jo, although she, too, is quite over-the-top in the early scenes with the other Marches. Those scenes still makes for little guilty pleasures, such as the scene where Jo "directs" Amy for a fainting scene in her Christmas play ("You have to get into the mood!") and the scene where Jo plays a mustached villain in said Christmas play.
I would say that Hepburn's real turning point in this movie is after Jo rejects Laurie's proposal and decides to move to New York. From that point on, Hepburn's gradually develops Jo's character from an brashy wild child to a mature and strong woman -- who doesn't have to sacrifice too much of her personality.
I recommend this as a good, clean family film - just try not to roll your eyes too much in the early scenes and you'll be fine.
Alan & Naomi (1992)
liked the book better
When I found out there was a movie based on the book, I was thrilled and I immediately checked it out. I was sorely disappointed. Truth be told, that might be an unfair assessment; I enjoyed watching the actors who played Naomi,Mr. and Mrs. Silverman, and Mrs. Liebman. My main complaint was with the one who played Alan. I couldn't stand his voice (talk about irritating!) and I didn't like the way that he played Alan. I think that the book portrays him with more spunk and life. When I watched the movie, though, I kept on thinking, "What on earth does Shaun SEE in this guy? Go get some real friends." One bad actor may not turn a movie into a bomb, but this is a story that really needs the leads to pull through.