Little review – Tonic to lift the spirit

The theme of Little is not new, yet director Tina Gordon and her lively cast turn this production into a fun, if often silly, outing.

It offers a handful of greeting-card type messages about bullying, confidence, self-respect, and fulfilling one’s dreams, among other issues.

Regina Hall plays an aggressively nasty boss named Jordan Sanders who owns a tech company in Atlanta, Georgia. Her staff are so afraid of her that when they see her coming they hide.

She is a filthy rich, self-absorbed individual who is hateful to everyone around, even to shops assistants and car valets.

Regina Hall in Little. Photo: Universal Pictures

Her long-suffering assistant April (beautifully played by Issa Rae) absorbs all her boss’ rudeness with quiet fortitude.

Her business has a major client and he needs Jordan and her team to come up with fresh ideas for his company – otherwise he is pulling his business. He has given them 48 hours to make their pitch.

Then things take a dramatic turn and the narrative heads into tricky waters. Some kind of magical spell, dispensed by a cherub-looking little girl with a wand who sells doughnuts, changes the insufferable Jordan.

She wakes up one morning and discovers that she’s become an awkward 13-yea-rold version of herself. The adult person is trapped inside the body of a teenager and this spells disaster in every sense. It also allows the script to have fun with this premise and raises quite a few chuckles along the way.

Marsai Martin is brilliant as the younger Jordan, and encapsulates the character perfectly. She has to go back to school and is in a position to view her life from a different perspective.

Marsai Martin in Little. Photo: Universal Pictures

She is once again being bullied at school (a legacy of her pent-up anger as an adult) and is forced to join a nerdy group of wannabes at school. Saddled with an adult’s maturity, she can now better plot her way forward and accept that she’s been handed a second chance to grow up. How will she react to these new set of circumstances?

Frivolous it is, but right now we need some kind of tonic to lift the spirit and Little may provide just the answer.

Info

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Cast: Regina Hall, Marsai Martin, Issa Rae, Justin Hartley, Luke James
Director: Tina Gordon
Classification: 10-12 PGLS

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