Tiffany Scott
Exec. Business Manager
“Little” lacks in structure and real comedy due to poor screenplay writing but makes up for it with great on-screen chemistry.
The film was directed by Tina Gordon and written by Tracy Oliver. Produced by Legendary Entertainment, it was released to theaters nationwide on April 12 and features Regina Hall as Jordan Sanders, Issa Rae as April Williams, and Marsai Martin as Little Jordan Sanders.
Jordan runs a software company with an iron-fist — her employees hate her, none more than her personal assistant April who has to be available 24/7 to cater to her boss’s every need. One day, Jordan has an unfriendly encounter with a kid with a magic wand, who turns her from a top business CEO into a 13-year old girl. April must pretend to be Jordan’s aunt as they figure out how to navigate with Jordan’s new disposition.
There is a strong chance that viewers will have already figured out the ending to “Little” within its opening minutes. A body swap, a time-sensitive challenge, a big musical number, life lessons learned… they can almost be checked off a list of a typical fail-safe formula. For moviegoers looking for a fresh take on the genre, this movie misses the mark.
The humor used in the film is typically used more in sitcoms, tending toward frequent gags rather than genuinely funny material. There are some good laughs but not enough to justify the nearly two-hour run time. The film frequently takes jokes much further than they need to go in order to retain their humor.
For most of the movie, Jordan and April are rivals. Jordan is an entitled CEO stuck in an adolescent’s body and April is trying to use the situation for career advancement. The protagonist of the film is unclear. April is the more conventionally likable of the two but Martin’s acting makes her hard to dislike.
Thankfully, child star, 14 year old Martin—who is also executive producer on the film—comes through with impeccable comedic acting. Martin consistently brings to mind the adult version of herself when Hall played her. Martin acts with similar talking and attitude and it never seems implausible that it was the same character in a different body, a task difficult to do.
Overall, the storyline is paper thin, the moral messages are blatant and overwhelming and the movie is structurally an absolute mess. The lazy screenplay does not even bother to explain how the magic that turned Jordan to a little girl works, which is actually one the film’s better jokes. However, the movie does well to complement the actresses’ talents with robust characters that help alleviate other failed aspects of the film.
“Little” is rated PG-13 and is playing in theaters worldwide.
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