As part of the Netflix #StreamTeam, I received product to facilitate this post. I have not received monetary compensation and opinions are my own.
Movie version vs. the book - the age old debate.
So many wonderful books, so little time. My e-reader is full of books that I have not had time to read but I find myself filling my spare time watching a movie. Sure, I should say that I prefer reading but my Netflix app happens to be next to my Kindle app and well - there are so many good movies and TV shows that needs my attention.
With that, I am going to share some of my favorite movies that started off as books. I actually feel like some of these movies are slightly better than the books.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
I really enjoyed the books and I was a little saddened by some of the small changes but I really enjoyed the movie. All of the wonderful details - the clothes, the dangers, the people, all in stunning color.
Reading a romance and seeing the chemistry unfold on screen are two very different things. I just adore the absurdity of this romance and enjoyed watching it unfold on the big screen.
The Great Gatsby
The book is no easy read, beautiful as the words may be, it is a bit dry and overwhelming. This version, the gorgeous Robert Redford version, is wonderful and heartbreaking in the way that it laid out.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Love the books, all of them, but they are heavy. The mother was way more messed up than as she was portrayed in the movie and that is why I love the movie more. Still, it is a wonderful story of women and how we need to support each other, not tear each other down.
A Long Way Down
This book is so bad, so very bad, but the movie redeems it. Four sad sacks, come together and form a bond, and watch as everything falls apart again to come back together. I enjoyed all of their performances but the best part is that what was utterly irredeemable in the book version became utterly endearing in the movie.
The Hours
I must admit, I read the book so long ago that I can only remember how it made me feel, which was melancholy but in the best possible way. The movie brings the same feeling only instead of getting lost in the pages of the book, you can get lost in the amazing performances of these wonderful actresses.
Big Fish
I cried like a baby when I saw Big Fish in the theater and that scene when Albert Finney sits in the bathtub because he is “dryin’ out.” and Jessica Lange climbs into the tub, fully clothed and lays on his chest - cried myself a tub full of tears.
The book is barely a short story and this movie absolutely exceeds the book.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a brilliant book and the movie is so close to the book, so very close to it. And, I love them both for the romance and beauty of being a woman.
