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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Little Men remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for 1930s movies where everyone talks really fast and kids act like tiny adults, you'll probably like this. It’s a good 'Sunday afternoon' movie when you just want to feel something simple.
But if you hate heavy sentiment or movies where lessons are learned every five minutes, you should probably skip it. It’s definitely not 'prestige' cinema. 🙄
So, we’re back with Jo March. Only she’s not the scrappy girl from Little Women anymore.
She’s Mrs. Bhaer now, and she’s running Plumfield, which is basically a house full of boys who don't have anywhere else to go. It’s messy and chaotic, and honestly, the movie captures that energy pretty well right from the start.
Erin O'Brien-Moore plays Jo. She’s fine, I guess, but she feels a bit too 'perfect' motherly at times. I missed the fire that Jo is supposed to have, even if she is an adult now.
The real star, for me anyway, was Frankie Darro as Dan. He’s the 'bad boy' who shows up and doesn't want to follow the rules.
Darro had this face that looked like he’d already seen too much of the world. Every time he’s on screen, the movie feels a bit more alive and a bit less like a stage play.
The school itself looks exactly how you’d imagine a 1934 movie set would. Lots of dark wood and big windows. 🏫
There’s a scene where the boys are all in their nightshirts, and it’s just pure chaos. It felt like the director just told them to go nuts for thirty seconds.
I noticed one kid in the background of a group scene who just kept staring directly at the camera. It’s a tiny mistake, but it made me laugh because it felt so human.
The plot is kind of thin. It’s mostly just series of events where a kid does something bad, feels bad about it, and then Jo or the Professor gives a speech.
Ralph Morgan plays Professor Bhaer, and he’s very... gentle. Maybe a bit too gentle? He’s like a human cardigan.
There’s a strange focus on the 'morality' of the boys that feels very dated today. Like, they treat a kid smoking a cigar like he’s committed a high crime. 🚬
But then again, that’s the charm of these old flicks. They come from a world that feels so much smaller and more focused on whether you’re a 'good egg' or not.
I found myself thinking about The Little Gray Lady while watching this, mostly because of how women were shoved into these 'nurturer' roles back then. Jo’s whole identity here is just being the heart of the house.
It’s a bit of a bummer if you really loved her independence in the earlier parts of her story. But that’s more a critique of the book’s legacy than the movie itself, I suppose.
There’s this one moment where Dan is trying to act tough, and you can see him almost crack a smile. It’s precious. I think that’s the word for this movie. It’s just precious.
It’s not trying to be a deep dive into the human soul like Little Lost Sister might try to be. It just wants you to feel good about kids getting a second chance.
Sometimes the audio gets a bit scratchy. I had to turn the volume up and down a few times because the kids would start screaming and then someone would whisper.
It’s not a perfectly restored version, clearly. But I kind of like the pops and hisses in the sound. It makes it feel like you’re watching a real piece of history.
The ending is exactly what you think it is. No surprises there. 🤷♂️
If you’re looking for something with more 'bite,' maybe check out Battling Bunyan instead. This is strictly for the people who want a warm hug of a movie.
One thing that bugged me was how many boys there were. I honestly couldn't keep track of half of them. They all started to look the same after a while in those flat caps and shorts.
But the core group is solid enough. You care about what happens to Dan, and that’s really the main thing that keeps the movie moving forward.
Is it better than the other versions of this story? Probably not. The 90s one has more production value, obviously. But this one has a certain grit beneath the sweetness because it was made during the Depression.
You can tell the actors knew what it was like to actually be hungry or worried. It gives the 'homeless boys' theme a little more weight than it might have today.
Overall, I’m glad I watched it. I won’t watch it again tomorrow, but I’ll remember Frankie Darro’s face for a while. He really carried the whole thing on his shoulders.
It’s a fine movie. Not great, not terrible. Just a nice way to spend an hour and a half if you don't mind a little dust on your screen. ✨
IMDb —
1926
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