I had the opposite reaction. I loved the ending.dws1982 wrote
I think this makes a pretty big error in the last 10-15 minutes by cutting back to the Tracy Letts character and Jo's negotiations with him. Of course, pairing Jo off with a man at the end of Little Women was, in large part, a convention dictated by commercial realities of 19th-century fiction. But I don't think Gerwig needed to highlight it so bluntly and use it to undercut the scene where Jo went to the train station to find Professor Bhaer. At that the point, the audience is so invested in the story and the characters that the ending of the film would've stood on its own with no trouble. I get that the central question is not who Jo is going to marry, but who she's going to be, but some of those final scenes were rather inelegant after the rest of the film was, in my mind, so elegant and so perfectly modulated.
I should be honest. Somehow I've never seen or read Little Women. My experience watching this film felt removed a bit. If I had one wish, it was if Gerwig had included a scene of them altogether at the very beginning prefacing the outstanding shot of Jo before the Publisher's door. Because I had yet to understand who they were as a group. Beginning the film with them as adults and a bit separate felt a bit alien to the themes. It took them through the first act to show them all together and establish their group personality. I love the first shot but I hated that choice. It removed me from the film from the get go. I say this knowing full well I'm likely the only person who hasn't seen or read Little Women but if indeed this is a Little Women for a new generation I think the criticism stands.
But I worked overtime to move past this hurdle to get into the film. I still felt a bit distanced from the film overall. I'm thrilled that it's performing so well at the box office because it's such a thoughtful, gorgeous film that truly wants us to understand these characters. My sister who has experienced Little Women throughout her life was on cloud nine. She's never loved it so much. Little moments that don't make terribly much sense in previous iterations were brought to life. Beth's death on the other hand didn't really seem to make much of an impact emotionally. I loved much of what Gerwig was doing but I do think the emotionally through-line of the film got a bit lost. I also wish dearly the casting of Tracy Letts and Bob Oedenkirk were swapped.
The ending was a home run for me. I think audiences are going to love it and I think they'll be right to. It's one of the reasons my sister remains on cloud nine.
So, I'm of muted enthusiasm. It's a thing I felt exhilarated about even as I felt on the outside.
I don't think it will be up for Best Picture but the box office will boost its chances. (NOTE: Yeah, I'm probably wrong on this one)