HOLLYWOOD—Many of us probably wish we had the opportunity to turn back time and venture to a period when things weren’t so great for us; a time where we could correct a few wrongs and perhaps be seen in a new light. That might be the only element of familiarity that the comedy “Little” delivers to the audience. I will give a fair warning to audiences: this comedy is not what you think it is.
Does it have comedy? Yes. Does the comedy always land? No. Why? Let me explain. “Little” presents the idyllic dilemma for most Americans: dealing with the boss from hell. That boss is Jordan Sanders portrayed by Regina Hall. She is a bit of a tyrant at the work place and I’d argue all of her staff is petrified of encountering her wrath. Just breathing wrong can cause you to be embarrassed; not just by Jordan, but everyone on staff.
Jordan’s assistant, April, portrayed by the hilarious Issa Rae is overworked, treated like garbage and just screams inside to get that opportunity to tell her boss off. “Little” does not fully utilize the talents of this funny lady. I mean have you seen the HBO comedy “Insecure,” that woman is comedy gold and utilizes improvisation to really deliver the hilarity.
The biggest problem with “Little” is that it gives the audience the perception that this flick is for all ages, and I beg to differ. Why? The laughs appear to be geared more towards the grownups and not the kids. If there is a joke, the kids might catch it, but that will be far and in between. The adults will catch the jokes, but they are mediocre at best. Did I laugh watching this movie? Yes, but was it one of the funniest comedies I’ve seen in years? Not a chance.
The narrative is as simple as it can get. Adult, who is absolutely cruel to everyone around her, finds herself cursed when see ticks off the wrong kid, who wishes for her to be little. Well, Jordan finds herself trapped in the body of her 13-year-old self, portrayed by Marsai Martin. Martin does plenty with the character, but the idea of a kid trying to be an adult isn’t as funny as one would like to think. The role reversal of a kid stuck in an adult body is far funnier if you ask me.
Some of the antics just seem a bit much for my liking. I mean Jordan having the hots for her teacher Gary (Justin Hartley), or getting a striptease from her boyfriend Trevor (Luke James) who has no idea that his girlfriend has been shrunk down to size. There are some bright spots to the flick which has the redemption tale of Jordan seeing the error of her ways, but that doesn’t save the movie in my opinion. It addresses some aspects of bullying which is quite prevalent in this day in age, where it’s an issue we’ve still had trouble finding a solution for. I was hoping for a bit more from “Little” and I found myself leaving the theater empty-handed and slightly cheated.
