Little

Seeing the trailer for Little, I knew it would fit perfectly into my blog’s format and planned accordingly. That said, I kept my expectations somewhat low. If the trailer were any indication, this was going to be a slapstick-y film with none of the heart of Big.

Did Little at least meet my tempered expectations? Yes, and I should make clear they weren’t THAT low.

I’ll get the negatives out of the way. In no particular order:

• The amount of on-the-nose dialogue made me cringe
• I was left with a major unanswered question at the end
• The main character is such an utter cartoon in the beginning it became harder to take her redemption seriously
• Some promising characters introduced don’t go anywhere.
• The things the lead says defy logic repeatedly. I felt like I was watching Three’s Company (Note: I love that show but let’s admit it often required leaving your brain at the door)

I definitely have some nice things to say though. I felt the very premise was tricky but handled well. Big followed the path you would expect where the main character gets to play the ultimate game of dress-up but realizes he misses the simple joys of childhood, Little had to think outside the box for a character arc and I’m impressed at how well it did.

My earlier complaint about how over-the-top the main character’s villainy was initially notwithstanding, it was a great idea having her be mean and abrasive, reveal she was because of her childhood experiences with bullying, and have her use her newfound resources to help herself and preteens in a similar boat when she finds herself a middle school social pariah once more. The movie wound up having heart despite the concept not lending itself to that nearly as easily as Big’s premise did.

More important for a movie aiming primarily for laughs is whether it’s funny. The answer is yes. Some of the jokes about an adult trapped in a kid’s body are predictable (and revealed by the trailer) but made effective by the performances of Regina Hall and Marsai Martin. It’s funny-the last time I watched an inverted adaptation of a popular comedy I thought the lead was one of the Reginas and this time it actually is. As far as Martin, the Blackish star (who apparently got her TV mom the chance to voice the main character’s Alexa-type device in this film) was the one who got the idea of creating a modern version of Big. In the process the 14-year-old became the youngest executive producer of a studio film in history!

Much better jokes comes when young Jordan is interacting with her new nerdy friends. It’s something I’ve honestly never seen-someone who was bullied growing up giving advice to children who currently are but needing to do so while involuntarily being one of them again-and it’s hilarious and sharp! Enough so that I will recommend the movie in spite of its flaws.

Up next: The classic.

Bottom line: You’re not missing much if you don’t, but I say watch it.