Film review: Little
Film & TV
From the producers of Girls Trip and Night School, the new feel-good movie Little offers a contemporary take on a tried-and-tested comedy formula.
A disenchanted adult finds themselves magically transformed into their former teenage self and must learn a valuable life lesson before they can return to their real age. Sound familiar?
It’s a plotline that has been used, with varying degrees of success, in numerous films – from 1988’s Big, with Tom Hanks, to the 2009 Zac Efron movie 17 Again – and now Little seeks to tickle the funny bone of a new, tech-savvy generation.
Infused with a healthy dose of sarcasm and packed full of social media and pop-culture references, it tells the story of boss-from-hell Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall, Girls Trip), who rules her company with a combination of unprovoked violence and a whole lot of shouting, not caring who she steps on along the way.
But all that changes when she wakes one morning to discover she has magically reverted back to her 13-year-old self.
In her new (old) body, Jordan is forced to do the one thing she has never done – rely on others – and with the help of her long-suffering secretary she embarks on a quest to undo the magic, with the pair bumbling their way through a series of hilarious and at times cringe-worthy hijinks.
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Hall does a brilliant job of bringing to life the overbearing Jordan, who is forced to re-examine her life choices (and, predictably, rediscovers herself in the process), while Issa Rae is equally entertaining as the secretary turned unwilling legal guardian, April.
However, it is pint-sized Marsai Martin – also credited as an executive producer, alongside Hall – who steals the show as young Jordan: she delivers harsh one-liners without blinking or breaking into a smile, and perfectly captures the domineering sassiness of her character.
Little is a film filled with feel-good, if somewhat clichéd, messages about embracing individuality and rising above bullies. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and there are plenty of laughs to be found – particularly when young Jordan finds herself in some very adult situations.
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