By: Keaton Marcus

The producers of "Night School" and "Girls Trip" have decided to bring Regina Hall back to the silver screen in the body-swap comedy "Little"--for better or for worse. It's a Hollywood fueled attempt to reboot "Big", but its adult-to-child instead of child-to-adult, and well, the leads are female. Occasionally, the familiar storyline works, and audiences will likely get more than enough yuks from the picture's talented cast--but all in all, "Little" settles for only a mildly entertaining, well-acted comic trip. Sure, Regina Hall and Issa Rae give the comedic power-trip that was expected, but its child actress Marsai Martin that steals the show performance-wise. Whether audiences will get enough out of Martin's refreshing adorability will be a serious gamble--but if so, you"ll have a tolerable time at the cinema.

Jordan Sanders (Hall) is a celebrity of sorts in the tech business, a mogul in her profession. However, she hasn't quite had the time to check her self-centered attitude towards her co-workers, and especially her unknowingly knowledgeable assistant April (Rae). Currently, Collin, her biggest client is threatening to walk out on the company in search of another firm--so they are in large need of ideas. However, Jordan will not take any of her employees' concepts and will not listen to April. One day Jordan meets a little girl who insists on showing the magic tricks, she refuses to listen and comments some vulgar thoughts about the child. The girl finally wishes Jordan to arise as a kid the next day. You guessed it, the next morning she transforms into her younger, 13-year old bullied self. That's when little Jordan enters the picture (an amazing Martin) and ultimately saves the film from being a total disaster.

Furthermore, "black-ish" star Marsai Martin knows how to make the audiences laugh. Whether it's a hilarious scene in which little Jordan and April sing up a tune in a high-end restaurant, styling in expensive clothes at her droll middle school, or even flirting with her model-like teacher--it's excruciatingly hard to resist. Personally, my ideal scene is a couple of moments after April forcefully takes Jordan back to school. In the parking lot, Jordan comments on how April is too "fat" for her dress--and much to her displeasure, April then returns the favor with a "spanking". Seconds after April yells out to the middle school lot to "start spanking your kids" in front of a traffic warden who reports on his walkie that "we have a BMW situation" and "a black momma whupping". "Little" has its moments in the spotlight, and if at least a couple gags can't crack you up, go see a doctor.

It's not the performances that ruin it, that's for sure--its the direction, and the familiarity in the plot that diminishes the cast's easy talent. The whole beginning of the picture has one or two light giggles from Regina Hall and Issa Rae's considerable chemistry. However, that's not enough to distract audiences from the tiring wait for the younger Jordan to enter the picture. Once Marsai Martin gives her entrance, the picture starts to pick it up, but the first 30 minutes or so are in desperate help of an edit. Screenwriter Tina Gordan wrote and directed this feature, and to give her credit, a couple of scenes were expertly thought through, but on a large scale, I ain't feeling it.

The final opinion is: "Little" has a talented cast, including a brilliant Marsai Martin, and a couple of laughs to spare, but on the whole, the direction and the familiarity in the development require a little check-up...$KIP IT

By: Keaton Marcus