Summary

• Little Women showcases the talents of Greta Gerwig, who infuses her own style of humor, heart, and sorrow into the beloved story.
• There are other movies, like Love & Friendship and Far From The Madding Crowd, that capture the magical aspects of sisterhood and period pieces.
• Movies like The Help and Steel Magnolias also exemplify solidarity between women in times of crisis and feature strong characterizations of women.

Though it is a classic tale itself, movies like Little Women show that there are plenty of worthwhile and beautiful movies that deal with similar stories of sisterhood. Greta Gerwig wrote and directed this adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic 1868 novel, the coming-of-age tale of four sisters who lived in a pitiful condition in their New England home during the Civil War. While maintaining the beloved story and its characters from the source material, Gerwig infuses it with her own style of humor, heart, and sorrow. While it is a pure testament to the filmmaker's talents, there are also movies like Little Women that capture similar magical aspects of the movie.

With Barbie's Oscar buzz for Gerwig throughout award season, more people might be interested in revisiting Little Women or finding more movies of its kind. Luckily, there is a wide variety of options available as audiences can find other beautiful period pieces that deal with the struggles of women in the 1800s. There are also more modern comedies about sisterhood and friendship. Each of these movies excels on its own but they all feature elements that fans of Gerwig's Little Women will especially appreciate.

Watch On Starz

1 The Women (2008)

A Group Of Women Share Highs And Lows Of Their Lives

The Women follows a group of friends who all seem to lead enviable, upscale lives that seem impossible to be bettered, but when one of the women’s husbands is unfaithful, the group begins to realize they all have flaws in their lives. Unique for having absolutely no male characters show up onscreen, The Women is a comedy-drama that has its main focus on self-reflection and sisterhood during times of crisis. It also features a strong ensemble of female actors who are a joy to watch share the screen with Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, and Eva Mendes among the actors.

Watch On Max

2 Love & Friendship (2016)

A Women Hatches A Plan To Secure A Husband

Greta Gerwig pulls off a funny and heartfelt story of Little Women within an 1800s setting, something also achieved by Love & Friendship. At the end of the eighteenth century, a recently widowed woman formulates a plan to secure future husbands for herself and her daughter. It takes a significant amount of planning and talent to pull it off, but her resilience knows no bounds. In a change from the norm of generally releasing drama films in a period setting, Love & Friendship is an all-out comedy that makes light of archaic tropes. A fabulous cast charms in their performances, while the beautiful execution of the eighteenth-century backdrop is especially enticing.

Watch On Prime Video

3 Far From The Madding Crowd (2015)

A Woman Becomes Sought After By Three Different Men

An adaptation of the novel from Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd follows a beautiful young woman who gains attention from three eligible suitors, who all vie for her heart. However, due to her independent mindset, she finds it difficult to conform to the times, as she seeks to follow her heart, like many of the main characters in Little Women. Rather than focus too much on clandestine relationships and dramas as many of the period genre films do, Far from the Madding Crowd takes a realist approach and has the protagonist’s independence take center stage in telling its story. It’s a good film to remind oneself that women were making progress even back then.

Watch On Max

4 Emma (1996)

A Young Woman Plays Matchmaker To Her Friends

Little Women deals with the challenges of courtship at the time which is something the Jane Austen adaptation Emma excels at. A charming young woman, with an attitude far ahead of the times she lives in, plans to play matchmaker for another girl who seems helpless in love. Along the way, the fiery Emma learns she doesn’t know as much as she thought about romance. While it retains the themes of women being challenged with the restrictions of the time and the women who are shunned for their intelligence, Emma manages to be its own thing by putting a positive spin on proceedings.

Watch On Paramount+

5 The Help (2011)

A Look At The Lives Of Black Housekeepers In The South

The Help boasts an incredible cast that includes Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer in an Oscar-winning role. During the Civil Rights Movement, a writer helps two maids in exposing the racism that runs in the houses that employ them. This bold step brings with it numerous consequences that heavily impact each woman's life but pave the way for the future. Although the movie is more contemporary than Little Women, The Help is the best example of solidarity between women in times of crisis. It’s also a genuine story that educates people of trying times of the past and is notable for its strong characterization of women.

Rent on Apple TV.

6 Lady Bird (2017)

A Coming-Of-Age Story Set In The 1990s

Though Greta Gerwig cemented herself as a modern directing master with Little Women, she had already announced herself with her terrific directorial debut Lady Bird. Little Women lead Saorsie Ronan stars in the coming-of-age story of Christine Mherson (Ronan), who deals with her tumultuous relationship with her mother, her complicated love life, and her uncertain future. Gerwig earned her first Oscar nomination as Best Director and scored a second for her original screenplay. It is a funny, relatable, and moving coming-of-age story that is a reminder of how messy growing up can be. Between this and Little Women, Gerwig showed how effortlessly she could create stories with characters who feel real regardless of the time period they are in.

Watch On Netflix

7 Hannah And Her Sisters (1986)

Three Sisters Struggle With Their Individual Relationships

One of the best aspects of Geriwg's Little Women is how it gives each character their own separate story all of which combine into a complete story. Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters accomplishes a similar storytelling feat as it centers around Hannah (Mia Farrow), and her two sisters Lee (Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Wiest). It is the story of these three, along with their lovers/husbands, and two bickering parents. The screenplay and story unfold elements beautifully one after the other. The sisters meet regularly to discuss the latest eccentricities of their personal lives. Michael Cain won an Oscar for his ing role as Hannah's husband who is in love with Lee.

Watch On Max

8 Pride & Prejudice (2005)

A Woman Struggles To Remain True To Her Independent Nature

Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice is the adaptation of Jane Austen's book by the same name. The lead Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) is way ahead of the age she lives in. Her mother constantly pressures her into marrying a wealthy man for Lizzie's nonchalance could force the four of her sisters into destitution. When two potential suitors enter her life, Elizabeth contends with the complex feelings of her heart and whether falling in love is abandoning her principles. It is easy to see the similarities between Elizabeth and Little Women's Jo March as they are both strong and independent protagonists who are also real people who battle loneliness and a desire to be loved.

Rent on Apple TV.

9 Sense And Sensibility (1995)

An Adaptation Of A Classic About Sisters Faced With The Need To Marry

Led by Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and Alan Rickman, Sense and Sensibility is another Jane Austen adaptation. It is the tale of the diametrically opposite Dashwood sisters, Marianne and Elinor. It is a highly manneristic story of these sisters from the 19th century who are caught in the struggles of daily life. Just as in Little Women, Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters are left in abject poverty after their father Mr. Dashwood dies. The elder Elinor must keep it together for the family. It is another beautiful and moving period piece that is also a look at the love between sisters who do not always see eye to eye.

Rent on Apple TV.

10 Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

A Teacher Inspires Young Women To Be Their Own People

Little Women looks at the pressures of women in the 1860s as they deal with societal pressures and it is a theme that strikes a chord in movies set long into the 1900s as well. Mona Lisa Smile is set in the 1950s, starring Julia Roberts as Katherine, an art professor at the all-girls Wellesley College who teaches her students to continually question the conventions and traditions of the past. Directed by Mike Newell, Mona Lisa Smile brilliantly showcases Julia Roberts as the unbent, unbowed and unbroken Katherine. The ing cast of her students includes Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Kirsten Dunst, adding to the brilliance of the movie.

Watch On Hulu