15. ‘Little Women’ (1994)
Before Florence Pugh’s Oscar nomination, Amy March was a polarizing literary figure. Fans of Louisa May Alcott’s iconic coming of age book ‘Little Women’ often struggled to relate to the temperamental youngest March sister, and her eventual marriage to her sister Jo’s first suitor Laurie infuriated many. An important step in her eventual redemption among newer generations of fans was the 1994 Gillian Armstrong adaptation, which casts a 12-year-old Dunst as the rascal during the first half of the movie. She nearly steals the show from her much more established costars, playing an adorable, mischievous agent of chaos without ever feeling too precious or forced in the role. Samantha Mathis as the adult Amy is solid in the role, but you miss Dunst’s presence as the film moves through the years. —WC