Critical Reception
Andre Sennwald of the New York Times called the film "a faithful and methodical treatment of Miss Ferber's novel, but without fire or drama or the vitality of the original." He added, "A fine actress, Miss Stanwyck seems ill-suited to a role that hustles her in jerky steps from girlhood to old age; a role in which she is asked to express rugged grandeur and the beauty of a life well-lived from behind a mask of grease paint . . . Little Dickie Moore is delightful as the younger So Big. Bette Davis . . . is unusually competent.".
Variety noted, ""Wellman's endeavor at kaleidoscopic flashes in the life of Selina Dejong . . . make for a choppy continuity . . . As it is, the 83 minutes are overly long, but in toto, it's a disjointed affair."
The New Yorker considered Barbara Stanwyck's performance "the best work she has yet shown us", while the New York Daily Mirror called her "exquisite" and added, "Her great talent as an actress never has been demonstrated more brilliantly. A sparkling performance. She is magnificent.".
Read more about this topic: So Big! (1932 Film)
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