Little has big problems it doesn’t overcome but it’s easy to enjoy

The latest body swap comedy has some great moments and a star-making introduction to Marsai Martin but can’t overcome its trite script.

The body swap comedy has been a staple for decades. (Want to know the earliest? The 1940 gender/body swap, Turnabout!) These features have often allowed two disparate groups: mothers/daughters, fathers/sons, adults/children to find out how the other half lives while teaching important life lessons.

These features are often solely focused on white people. So immediately Tina Gordon’s feature, Little, is breaking the mold and even points out that these movies are so often “white people problems.” Little has its fair share of issues, particularly with Gordon’s script which is trite and ill-defined, but its consistently peppy humor and engaging leads make this a solid investment.

Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall) is a successful app designer who’s built a name for herself despite being a dictator to her employees, especially her assistant April (Issa Rae). When Jordan is hit with a spell that turns her back into her 13-year-old self (played by Marsai Martin), she’ll have to learn how to deal with others and find a way to fix things.

Little is a comedy with a simple premise that tries to hit a variety of messages. Jordan is introduced as a smart little girl who, after a bad experience on-stage, grew up believing that she had to be mean before others were mean to here. So immediately there’s a need to promote anti-bullying. At the same time Gordon, who also wrote the script, wants to discuss the stereotypes in relationships, particularly in Black relationships. So Jordan not only has to navigate middle school and her company floundering, but a relationship with a sweet but dumb guy (wonderfully played by Luke James) she can’t let her guard down around. And at the same time Rae’s April is learning how to assert her own dominance.

These multiple messages being bombarded take Little away from what it should be about: a mean woman who has to learn to open herself up to others and slaying anyway. And the film certainly does that, but it takes a long time to get there. Regina Hall, who only has a few scenes at the beginning and end of the film, is great but it’s a role that requires her to shout a lot. Her meltdowns are hilarious, but they skirt the line between funny and downright abusive. There’s a line between licking someone’s apple and actively abusing your staff. Because of how nasty Hall is it’s ultimately hard to buy any change of heart the movie gives her at the end.

The real heart of Little is found in Marsai Martin as the young Jordan Sanders. It’s actually upsetting how many missed opportunities the movie makes with her plotline, and in spite of the marketing her being in school is a minor plot point. This is where the script is at its flimsiest as we’re told Jordan has only been little for about two days. So it’s hard to fathom she’d make lifelong friends and dominate everything in such a short amount of time.

Martin herself is fantastic and carries the movie. When the script focuses on Jordan navigating mean girls and her crush on her teacher (played by This is Us heartthrob, Justin Hartley) it’s fantastic. Why is this not the entire feature?

Martin has flawless comedic timing and can do so much with a raised eyebrow and a smile. She’s already a skilled comedienne at such a young age. And she’s wonderful opposite Rae. Where Martin is a literal child, Issa Rae’s April acts like one, shyly making statements behind people’s backs. When she finally loses it with Martin’s Jordan, it’s two kids having a brawl. At the same time, when they have fun together — Martin getting drunk at a restaurant and singing — it’s magic.

Gordon should be applauded for not making the movie about a woman learning to love children, as that could have easily happened. But the things it touches on so lightly should be explored fuller. Case in point, James’ Trevor and his relationship with Jordan. It’s amazing to see a script look at masculinity from the viewpoint of women being guarded and self-sabotaging. James creates a sweet, sexy man who actively wants to be with Jordan, right down to believing that little Jordan is his girlfriend’s daughter, a fact he’s giddy about. He wants to step up and it’s darling to see.

But the movie absolutely does nothing with it, instead focusing on the trite “pitch of a lifetime” plot wherein April and Jordan have to save their company. In fact, the movie never answers the question of what to do with Trevor at the end. The same goes for a plotline about social services, which only serves to get little Jordan into school.

And yet the jokes fly so feverishly it’s hard to get too muddled in the logic. Gordon’s script is chock-full of jokes and while it’s evident those are meant to prop up a transparent plot, they keep you engaged. It just makes Little so frustrating because you can see the glimmers of genius. Had the script passed through one more edit, it might have been perfect.

If you’ve watched any of the previous features in this genre, Little doesn’t break new ground. Its logic is non-existent and its characters are thin, but that’s a criticism that affects all these movies. If you go into it knowing it’s a pleasant distraction, a feature you can take your tweens to see on a Sunday afternoon, you’ll enjoy yourself.