Little movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Little

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour, 49 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C+

IN A NUTSHELL: This is kind of a reverse, African-American version of the Tom Hanks’ 1988 hit movie Big. I love that movie. It makes me laugh and cry every time. Marsai Martin from Black-ish: Season 1 (Amazon Exclusive) stars in this version of the adult/kid switcheroo and is really fantastic. She carries the film. In fact, she pitched the original idea and was actually one of the Executive Producers! She has a bright future in film and TV. I had never seen her before and was happy to be introduced to her talent.

There are some funny moments, but it definitely doesn’t have the warm heart that Big has.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Cocaine reference to snorting donut sprinkles
Some jokes about a kid drinking alcohol.
The message of the movie is a bit confusing. It tells you to be kind, yet it also tells you to be who you are and fight for what you want in an aggressive way.
Pre-marital hanky panky.

THEMES:

“You can’t let anyone else define you.” – Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall)
Be your best self
Friendship
Kindness

THINGS I LIKED:

The real standouts in the movie are Issa Rae and Marsai Martin.
Jordan’s closet was amazing and looked like a store. I’m pretty sure most women fantasize about having a closet like that.
Fans of This Is Us: Season 1 will love seeing Justin Hartley as the hunky school teacher. Unfortunately, I thought they were going to do more with him in the movie, but he’s only in a couple of scenes.
Rachel Dratch had a short, but hilarious scene.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Regina Hall was over-the-top, but of course, her mean character was supposed to be.
The blue and white shirt with that weird cape Jordan wore in the first scene was bizarre. She called it fashion but even one of the other characters commented that it looked like napkins were stuck on her back. ha ha
Unlike Big, Jordan is supposed to see the world through child-like eyes, but she’s just a Little girl still looking at the world through her jaded, adult, self-centered eyes. There is some emotional growth, but not enough to really love her in the end. She was still overpowering and rude.
It focused a lot on money as the ultimate goal.
The dancing scenes are supposed to be triumphant, but they’re not very good.

FUNNY LINES:

“What in the black Jesus?” – April Williams (Issa Rae)
“She’s trying to turn those white people into marshmallows. That was black girl tragic.” – April

INTERESTING LINES:

“Of course, there’s always going to be people out there who just don’t want you to live your best life. The trick is not becoming one of them.” – Jordan

OTHER MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Big