A Little Women's Christmas

A much loved story and promising lineup but fell short of expectations. Not enough substance. Scenes were too short and changed too quickly so Jen and Jesse left me wanting more. In my opinion, Laura Osnes should have been Jo. Hers and Trevor's character rang the truest and I'd have loved to have seen her as Jo. I also enjoyed Tanya's character. I've seen some movies with Jillian and I'm sorry to say, the stories change but she's always the same... Some of the other cast members were so stiff I just couldn't believe the story. They were literally performing for the camera. It would be so great to see some of the more seasoned members of the network give this a try, perhaps with a little more of the original story left in it, maybe a series focusing on each separate sister within the family.

Faith based movies are great when the viewer isn't bombarded with stiff smiles and so much teeth and "niceness" that is so far removed from reality it's not believable. I know these types of movies are made to make the viewer feel good but we need believable characters and story lines that grip. It is possible. I'm also disappointed with the Christmas decorations throughout the movie...it was barely noticeable.

If you saw the disaster of a romance movie called 'Prescription for Love' starring these two leads, you at least have to admit the script for this one is far more suitable...especially for Trevor Donovan. This actor does best when the romance blossoms early on and the screenplay doesn't call for him to be bumbling and tongue-tied/shy at the onset. This movie isn't perfect in that regard (in that he can't come clean right away about working for her employer) but that cringe-quotient is far less than being a clueless doctor in 'Prescription'. Here, the romance progresses credibly and the 'conflict' is also real-world credible. Marsh is attractive and sweet and her only problem....if such a thing is actually a problem in real life....is the she looks far younger than her age. She looked like a teenage nurse in 'Prescription' and here a bit young to already have achieved a list of best-sellers.

Really? They have Jen Lilley and Jesse Hutch but didn't put them in lead roles? Jillian Murray is too weak an actress for a lead. She was boring in the lead and her low cut dress at church was inappropriate for a GAC movie. The movie had good bones but was pretty boring and needed a meatier script with more humorous lines.

As far as the Little Women theme, it fell flat. The relationships between the characters was weak. Laurie and Jo have a history that was not at all apparent. I did love Gladys Night and the other singers at the church though. I feel I wasted 2 hours of my life. I love GAC and I'm praying for better scripts!

The elements that make this a "retelling" are the girls' names. The Lorrie romance, and the sisters' creativity. But that's a low bar; a true retelling would capture the essence of the original, including themes of sacrifice, giving when you have little to give (the modern family is insanely well-off by almost all Americans' standards), and a sense of responsibility to community that pulls people together through shared hardship. Attending a church service hardly does that.

Did the creators of the movie think an Army captain fits that bill? Instead of learning an actual truth (the Army doesn't care if you miss your family), Daisy learns a fantasy that if a soldier tells God he wants to go home, God will grant his wish. What about the enlisted guys Captain Daddy left behind? As a former Army Officer's wife, I can recall being pre-empted on Christmas for lonely soldiers my ex-husband had to inspire morale into.

This channel needs to get its writers and producers out of Beverly Hills and talk to some regular people. L. M. Alcott's original is so much more relatable than this misguided production.

Still, it filled some of a night for us.

I honestly thought I was watching a high school play. It looked and felt low budget. Jen Lilley as Meg and Laura Osnes as Beth were great but should never be in minor support roles. Jillian Murray was not strong enough to play the lead as Jo. The characters of Amy and Laurie were just space fillers and poorly cast. The casting choices and writing, both dialog and plot lines, were subpar. The entire movie was uncomfortably bad. The one minute of decent airtime was Gladys Knight singing. That was it.

Within the first fifteen minutes it was obvious that the movie was not going to be worthy of a second watch. I stuck it out hoping it would improve. Sadly, it did not.