I wouldn’t call Little a showcase for Issa Rae, who gets one of her first significant big-screen roles, but anyone who can bring this much life and intelligence to such tired material certainly deserves praise. Rae plays April, the corporate assistant to Atlanta tech titan (and nightmare boss) Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall). When an errant curse transforms Jordan back into her middle-school body, a lot of awkward comic set pieces (many uncomfortably sexual) and hokey life lessons ensue. Hall, a gifted comedian in her own right, is stuck shrieking during her limited screen time, but Rae lightens the mood with quick asides, devilish double takes, and real chemistry with Marsai Martin as the younger Jordan. Already a star from television’s “Insecure,” Rae deserves a feature comedy way smarter than this.
