If you STILL haven’t seen Little, the latest comedy from the creative minds that brought us Girl’s Trip, then we’re here to ask, what are you waiting for?
Aside from the fact that the film boasts the youngest ever executive producer in the shape of 14-year-old Marsai Martin (Black-ish), the amazing Regina Hall (Girl’s Trip, The Best Man and Think Like A Man franchises etc) and our favourite ‘Awkward Black Girl’ Insecure’s Issa Rae, it’s a hilarious picture with an underlying message of staying true to yourself, no matter what.
Loosely based on the Tom Hank’s 1988 classic, Big, this version, by acclaimed producer Will Packer (Girls Trip, the Ride Along franchise, Night School, No Good Deed and Think Like a Man) reverses the storyline so that an adult Jordan Sanders (played by Hall) is a take-no-prisoners tech mogul who wakes up as a 13-year-old version of herself (Martin) in her penthouse, just before a do-or-die presentation.
Issa Rae plays Jordan’s long-suffering assistant April, the only one in on the secret that her daily tormentor is now trapped in an awkward tween body just as everything is on the line.
Little highlights the price of success, the power of sisterhood and having a second chance to grow up — and glow up — right.
The comedic time of all three leads was spot on but it was a particular joy to watch Marsai Martin. She was born to play this role of sarcastic, condescending young queen who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Anyone who’s watched her in Black-ish will see that she has taken her character up more than a couple of notches.
Issa’s character brings the laughs with her ‘Blerdy’ vibes that so many of us relate to so well.
Having all the main leads as Black women allows viewers to explore themselves through a variety of relatable characters, rather than the one Black sidekick. From the underappreciated yet talented employee played by Rae, to the evil boss played by Hall, who uses power and materialism to over compensate for her low self-esteem, viewers may be able to identify with one, or all of the complex identities of the characters.
As you would expect from a Black-led film, the lighting issues in the industry that we ensured in the past now appear to be a memory, and the camera loved every single one of the cast, and wardrobe -wise everyone looked amazing.
Through all of the laughs, the film shares some poignant messages that will resonate. In particular, the lesson that advocates learning to deal with the demons that haunt us in childhood, or in our past, as they tend to manifest later on in life. Like we see with Regina’s character, as adults we often replicate the trauma and toxicity we experience as children.
We left the cinema with a renewed conviction about the importance of staying true to our self and never forgetting who we really are at heart.
Watch Little from Friday 12 April 2019.
