Little: Netflix Movie Review

Directed by: Tina Gordon

Cast: Regina Hall (Jordan Sanders), Marsai Martin (Young Jordan Sanders), and Issa Rae (April Williams)

Streaming OTT: Netflix

Imagine being a bully who runs a tech company, a total big bully boss, and then waking up to a little teen version of yourself. Caught in body-swap time travel? That’s what happened with Jordan Sanders in the Netflix movie “Little”. 

Back in 1993, Jordan Sanders, a student at Windsor Middle School gets an embarrassing injury while performing a Science experiment during an on-stage talent show. This makes her work hard to get into a position in the future to attack others before they can attack her.

Lil’ Jordan grows up to be a well-acclaimed businesswoman who is the meanest boss one can ever have. She is the CEO of JSI i.e Jordan Sanders Innvotions. She has all the luxuries in the world including a paramour named Trevor who tries to delay his stay at Jordan’s every time. Jordan’s neighbour Vince disapproves of her and keeps an eye on her all this while.

Apart from all this, Jordan is the epitome of a nightmarish boss for April Williams, her assistant. April is very talented but never has had her big shot in the tech market. It’s satirically comical to see April listening to the “So you want to slap your boss?” podcast and meditate. It’s Jordan’s morning routine to play havoc with April. In addition, she makes life hell for her other employees. Seeing the screenplay till now can make one bite Jordan’s head off.

After she behaves rudely with a chubby girl called Stevie, the little girl using a toy magic wand wishes that Jordan was a kid again. The wish comes true the next morning when 38-year old Jordan wakes up as her 13-year-old self.

(SPILLING SIMILIARTIY HERE: “13 going to 30” vibe might hit the viewers)

Jordan shrieks at the sight of her reflection on the silvery coffee machine where she asks for her regular beverage. Seeing a child enter Jordan’s apartment makes Vince interrogate her. Lil’ Jordan remarks that her mother (38 yr-old Jordan) keeps her hidden. This calls for an intrusion of Child Services’ Officer Agent Bea. Since Jordan is a minor, April poses as her aunt. Agent Bea warns April of being put in the county if Jordan isn’t enrolled in school. With her assistant April temporarily taking over the company, Jordan is forced to return to the school where she was previously bullied.

All this while, lil’ Jordan’s impersonation of a self-confident 38-year-old woman coping with the insult of being treated like a middle-school student is flawless.

At school, Jordan is introduced to her handsome teacher, Mr Marshall, whom she develops a crush on. Once again the target of bullies, Jordan befriends three other outcasts – Isaac, Raina, and Devon. The trio is found sitting at an amusingly weird table labelled as “SAFE FRIEND ZONED”. Meanwhile, underconfident April has difficulty keeping everyone’s attention at work without Jordan’s authority to back her up. It’s pretty relatable since in our lives too gullible people, often, fail to dictate.

At a restaurant, Jordan and April have dinner, brooding over their struggles at school and workplace. Jordan secretly gets high and loudly sings Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down” with April joining in. One can break into pearls of laughter here.

Later, the company’s biggest client threatens to move to a competitor if the firm doesn’t pitch him a great idea for a mobile app. April ends up pitching “Discover Eyes” without Jordan’s approval. Jordan rages and April quits her job.

After Jordan realizes how terrible she’s been to April and everyone who cares about her, she helps her friends at school perform at a pep rally. At first, they are booed by the crowd, but after a successful performance, they earn a round of applause and the respect of their peers. April finds the girl who turned Jordan into a child and asks that she turn her back to normal.

What happens next? Will Jordan get to be her 38-yr old self? What will happen to April? Will Jordan change for the better? Watch “Little” on Netflix to know more. Here is the trailer. 

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