Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

What a terrible reboot of my story. I love this book. My mother read this to me as a child. I was named for Beth. I have read it to my daughter and I reread it often. The jumbled mess of this movie has been covered by other reviewers. I'll simply add that there is no way and no time to bond with these lovely characters. It was awful. Just awful. I don't know if the tragic miscast of almost every member of this movie has been addressed, though. Emma Watson as Meg was tragically miscast. Emma Watson can play anything, but to put her in the role as Meg and then to make her character so flat and lifeless... Emma Watson deserved better writing and direction than this. Amy was tragically miscast. In the book, Amy grows from her selfish self to a lovely young woman. I don't think this actress had a clue how to play her. Laurie was tragically miscast; he was way too young for the grown up parts of this movie which were all over the place. Jo was cast reasonably well, but who can love her with the story bouncing all over the place. You had to already know them and the story to even participate in the movie. Meryl Streep was awful and there was some warmth in her (Aunt March) in the book. She (the character) and Meryl were equally awful in the movie. But the moment, the defining moment of my extreme dislike for this movie comes in an incidental, completely unnecessary scene where Marmee, beloved Marmee, says, "I have always been ashamed of my country." and the black woman standing next to her says something like 'never more than now'. No, no, and NO! That was not in the book and it is complete and utter nonsense. If the writer and director of this film is ashamed of her country, find another vehicle to express it. NOT my beloved "Little Women". And not my beloved Marmee. She would have never said that and the scene was completely superfluous. You hate America? Fine, but don't hijack a beautiful book and a beautiful character to make your point. Sick. I have several copies of the book "Little Women". I own DVDs of all of the movie adaptations. But I won't buy this one. I'm sorry I wasted the money to rent it, but I'm so glad I didn't buy it. Winona Ryder and Christian Bale reign and your pathetic attempt to bring your political ideology fails in this attempt to make a movie. I'd give it negative stars if I could. I will hit the Submit button and then watch "Little Women" with Winona Ryder in order to cleanse the palate...and hopefully remove this travesty of a movie from my mind forever. **UPDATE** I was so upset by this movie, I’m reading the book again for the umpteenth time. After Amy burns Jo’s book and the subsequent events of that episode, Jo and Marmee speak of their mutual quick temper. Marmee tells Jo that Father March is the one who helped her begin to conquer her temper. Then she speaks of HER LOVE OF COUNTRY AND HER DEVOTION TO DUTY as the only things that allow her to suffer through Mr March’s absence for the war. When this was written, “duty” was not a dirty word, nor was “honor”. To take the honor, beauty and dignity of this book and turn these characters into today’s rabid feminists is a travesty.