“How little are they?” A comment from Joey on the TV show Friends. Little Women is an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel (a book that Joey read) Little Women. It follows the lives of the four March sisters (Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy), set in Civil War era Massachusetts. We see their day to day struggles, a love interest with the new neighbor Laurie, and their lives from childhood to womanhood in the 1860’s.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: December 25, 2019
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

The film will spark some great parent/child conversations. The March sisters have different goals and aspirations. For example, Jo is a modern woman.  She pursues her writing career, which is difficult for a woman in the 1860’s. Interestingly, she resists the idea from her publisher that if she wants her book published the heroine must die or be married by the end of the novel. On the other hand, Jo’s sister Meg wants a more traditional life – her great ambition is to get married and have a family.

Sexual Content: Mild

• Characters kiss.

Disturbing Content: Moderate

• One of the girls becomes very sick with scarlet fever.
• A character falls through ice while skating.
• One of the girls burns her sister’s important papers.
• The girls’ father comes home injured from the war.
• There is the mature subject matter of death of a loved one.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

• Name calling such as; “idiot,” “savage,” “foolish,” and “selfish.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

• Characters are shown drinking champagne at a party.
• We see a few drunk characters as well.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall this is a wonderful and thought proving film. Depending on the child, appropriate for kids ages 10 and up.

Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) has had a difficult life.  He’s a very cynical journalist for Esquire magazine, and is upset when asked to do a special edition on “heroes.” His editor wants him to write a profile piece about Fred “Mister Rogers” Rogers (Tom Hanks). Lloyd claims that Mister Rogers “plays with puppets for a living.” However, it ends up that Lloyd’s interview with the kind and compassionate man, Mister Rogers, changes his life forever. Based on a true story, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, is a wonderful and heartfelt story about love, forgiveness, and wanting to become a better person.

Talking Points:

• Fred Rogers was ordained as a Presbyterian minister and believed his children’s show was a platform where he preached Jesus’ message of unconditional love.
• Mister Rogers does not put on an act on TV.  The journalist eventually  realizes that there’s no difference between the Mister Rogers on TV and Fred Rogers in real life.
• The film will spark some great parent/child conversations. Fred Rogers impresses upon Lloyd the importance of forgiveness- something that Lloyd needs to do.

Sexual Content: Mild

• A married couple kiss and snuggle in bed.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild

• Two characters get into a fight. We see their cuts and bruises after the altercation. A character collapses from a medical condition.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

• We hear “d-mn,” and “h–l.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate

• Adults drink. One character is an alcoholic and we see him drunk at a wedding.
 There are references regarding substance abuse.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall this is a wonderful and inspirational film- good for a family with pre-teens and teens.