10 Massively Underrated 1990s Movie Performances

With Greta Gerwig’s recent reimagining being adored by critics and snubbed by the Academy, it’s worth revisiting the last big screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic coming-of-age novel. Starring a typically superb Susan Sarandon and featuring an adorable early performance from Kirsten Dunst, the 1994 film is a warmer and less consciously meta affair than Gerwig’s flick, focusing more on character than (sometimes cringeworthy) attempts at “modernisation” and hamfisted social commentary.

Most important, the film is anchored around a superb central turn from emerging star Winona Ryder. In the hands of the Beeetlejuice star, the character of Jo March isn’t a boorish author obsessed with her sisters and her own genius, but a tough and warm-hearted heroine who is all the more formidable for her vulnerability and indecision. It’s a riskier reading of the character, and her explosive anger at the young Amy would leave audiences struggling to sympathize with a lesser actress.

But Ryder carries Jo with both spirit and fragility, combining sparks of passion with believable insecurity and grounding the nostalgic narrative in recognizable reality for a modern audience.