Colin’s Column: “Little” making big moves in theaters
By: Colin Bauer
Staff Writer
Cast: Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Tone Bell
Director: Tina Gordon
Synopsis: Jordan Sanders, a businesswoman, gets a chance to relive her younger days when a girl she offended wishes she was little. Sanders must now understand what the pressures of adulthood are going to be like for her while living as her younger self. In an effort to become big again, she enlists the help of her assistant April.
Review:
What would you do if you were transported back to your younger days? Would you attempt to right your wrongs, or live it the same way? That’s the conflict at hand in “Little”. This movie is an unoriginal look at that concept but does feature good performances, a compelling narrative and fantastic direction.
The entire cast effectively connects to the audience and Marsai Martin embodies Regina Hall in her performance exceptionally well. It is remarkable to see how these actresses show both the younger and older versions of each other. Audiences could argue that Hall based her performance after Martin’s, given how little screentime Hall holds.
Even supporting characters, portrayed by Issa Rae and Tone Bell, are memorable. In particular, their on-screen chemistry is exhilarating to watch. In the end, the audience truly hopes they get together as a romantic couple.
Audiences will ponder the film’s theme of how might you change yourself given the option to relive your younger days. The way the film portrays the middle school lifestyle is also spot on, similar to how it was portrayed in 2018’s “Eighth Grade.” Having grown up in an age of digital media and bullying, it was a pleasure to see an accurate representation of an average, and unpopular, 13-year-old’s life.
Another relatable element about the narrative is how Sanders’ younger self realizes just how wrong she has been and attempts to correct it. This is something audiences will definitely relate and latch onto, that is, knowing what you know now and applying it to a past situation.
Tina Gordon’s direction is also cool to watch. There is something unique about how she chooses shots in all of the set locations. She makes great use of the space and includes as much detail as she can within the frame. Considering what she did with this comedic film, it would be awesome to see her work on an action film in the future.
The only element of this film that isn’t great is the comedy. The film is billed as a comedy, yet contains little comedic moments. Audiences weren’t laughing a whole lot, still, people seemed very pleased with the film.
“Little” may not return a whole lot of profits due to other films coming out shortly with more commercially based appeal, such as “Avengers: Endgame” or “The Curse of La Llorona,” but it is truly a movie worth seeing. It will keep you entertained and let you escape reality for about two hours. Although It’s not a very thought-provoking film, it will leave audiences pondering what they would do in the situation, “what if I was young again?”
SCORE: 7/10