Story about the March family of four daughters and a strong mother (Sarandon) who, because her husband is away serving in the Army during the Civil War, must raise her "little women" on her own. The daughters include: spirited Jo (Ryder) who longs for a career as a writer; beautiful and conservative older sister Meg (Alvarado); fragile Beth (Danes); and the romantic Amy (Dunst/Mathis). Through the years, as they become women, the sisters share their...

Writer-director Greta Gerwig has crafted a film that draws on both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott and unfolds as the author's alter ego, Jo March reflects back and forth on her fictional life. In Gerwig's take, the beloved story of the March sisters, four young women each determined to live life on her own terms, is both timeless and timely.