What was your favorite movie that was based on a book and what was your biggest disappointment? Please be sure to tell us which is which in your reply.
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I fell deeply in love with all of Roald Dahl's books in the fourth grade. The first book I got caught reading at midnight with a flashlight under the covers was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So imagine my excitement to see the movie with Gene Wilder. I was so disappointed. The movie didn't look anything like the book and whole parts of it were missing. The Umpalumpas were some of my favorite characters. I thought the movie did them a horrible injustice. Ever since then, I read the book first to establish my own imagination. I never feel in the mood to read a book after I have seen the movie version.
I am deathly afraid someone is going to try to make The Chronicles of Narnia after all of this.
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I thought Forrest Gump was a great movie, even though it was much different from the book. I actually saw the movie first, so maybe that's why I felt that way. It was a great book too, but in this one instance the movie was able to do things that the pen couldn't. The way they hooked the viewer into different American eras (i.e. 1950s, 1960s, 1970s) is awfully hard for even great writers to produce on paper.
There are lots of good books that turned into much lesser movies in my opinion. Most of the John Grisham books were disappointing on screen and I stopped watching them --- Stephen King's, too, especially Dolores Clairborne. They really sold out on that story to attract the Hollywood crowd. The real story was infinitely better in my opinion.
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Favorite movies based on a book: The English Patient and Devil in a Blue Dress
Worst movies based on a book: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Bloodwork
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My favorite book that was made into a movie was The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver. Wesley Snipes was a wonderful Lincoln Rhimes and the book was faithful to the book. Honestly it is the only movie based on a book that I have ever seen that was as good as a movie as it was a book. For every other one, if I loved the book I hated the movie and visa versa. Jeffery Deaver is by far the best writer of this genre I have ever read and hopefully he will continue to be so for a long, long time.
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Favorite movie based on a book: Interview With the Vampire, based on the novel by Anne Rice. It is absolutely faithful to the book in every way, and Tom Cruise made a sublimely evil Vampire Lestat, despite everyone's gloomy predictions. It seemed as though the director had plucked those images right out of my brain!
Biggest disappointment: Trapped, based on the novel 24 Hours by Greg Iles. It was a fantastic thriller of a book that kept me up all night. I had to fight to stay awake during the lackluster movie version.
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My favorite movie that was based on a book is the original 1959Journey to the Center of the Earth. I was only 10 years old, but I found the color lush, the plot line intriguing and I absolutely fell in love with Hans, the Icelander who went with James Mason, Arlene Dahl and Pat Boone on their journey. I pestered my mother to buy me the book (remember, only 10 here), and I was so disappointed in it. The biggest problem had to be my age. I was expecting the book to be a retelling of the movie, but of course it wasn't. It had none of the color, none of the romance, not even a hissable villain! It took me 5 years to finally finish it.
I also loved the movie Jaws, but was disappointed in the book. Conversely, Jaws 2, while an OK movie, was an excellent read. Go figure.
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My favorite movie based on a book (a short story, really) was The Shawshank Redemption. My least favorite movie was The Bonfire of the Vanities with Tom Hanks and Melanie Griffin --- it was a terrible movie!
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Best movie: Lonesome Dove
Worst movie: The Firm
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A couple of years ago I got to chat with Greg Iles online. His current book at that time was Mortal Combat. Since then I've read more of his books. I recently read one of his called 24 Hours. I couldn't put the book down and thought it would make a good movie. I went to Greg's website and found the movie debuted that very day, under the title Trapped. It was a good movie with a few changes to the plot. I enjoyed both the book and the movie.
My biggest book to movie disappointment: The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. It's as if they took a long book, full of wonderful characters, and reduced it to a single chapter.
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Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is my favorite book turned into a movie.
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I'm always afraid I'll be disappointed, so I rarely go see movies that I enjoyed as books, but my favorite was Simon Birch (A Prayer for Owen Meany) and the biggest disappointment was The English Patient. I hope The Hours doesn't disappoint!
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My favorite was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.
My biggest disappointment was Blood Work by Michael Connelly.
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My favorite movie based on a book was Gone With the Wind --- what a sweeping, wonderful saga. I've read the book more times than I can count and have seen the movie. I recently introduced both to my daughters and they loved it too.
A disappointing book to movie is the Harry Potter series. I liked the way I had visualized Hogwarts and the whole Platform at the train station thing --- the movies just can't compare to books.
In addition, I am looking forward to seeing White Oleander when it comes on video. It will be interesting to see how that compared to the book.
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Wasn't Hawaii one of the most memorable books ever written? If you weren't aware that it was made into a movie, it is because it was probably the worst bomb to come out of Hollywood. Disappointment doesn't even come close to the truth. It would make a wonderful TV mini-series, though --- so many facets.
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The Silence of the Lambs --- the movie was brilliantly true to the tone of the book, which is a very rare occurrence.
The Shipping News --- Kevin Spacey and Julianne Moore, although both fine actors, were poor choices for the roles of Quoyle and Wavy.
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My favorite book-into-movie is To Kill a Mockingbird, though I do have to say that watching Beloved certainly helped me understand the book, and I doubt I would have known what was going on in the movie without having read the book first. My biggest disappointment is The Bonfire of the Vanities.
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My favorite would have to be Gone With The Wind. The most disappointing would most likely be The Thornbirds.
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My book club read Chocolat and then went to see the movie. We liked the book very much, but loved the movie. The ending was completely different and was a great change to the story. I usually like the book better than the movie, but this was a wonderful surprise. My biggest disappointment was Captain Corelli's Mandolin --- the book was much better than the movie.
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Favorite movie: Gone With the Wind
Biggest disappointment: The House of the Spirits
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Gone with the Wind was the best adaptation of any book. The Hot Rock was the worst interpretation of a book and was cast so badly I wouldn't have recognized Dortmunder. WHY can't they do just one of Westlake's funny books right???
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Favorite movie based on a book: Stand By Me, based on the novella The Body by Stephen King.
Most disappointing movie based on a book: Watchers, based on the novel of the same name by Dean Koontz. The secondary plotlines were completely destroyed.
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One of my favorite books is The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. The setting was described vividly, so you felt you were there and would recognize landmarks if you visited there in person; the characters were well developed and grew to be "friends" you cared about deeply; the plot flowed and was neither sappy nor maudlin. An excellent story spun by an excellent storyteller.
However, when I saw the movie, I was disappointed. Even though it starred Angela Lansbury, one of my favorite actresses, too much of the plot was cut out and some major events were changed. For example, in the book Penelope's lover had died in the war; but in the movie, she runs into him on the street and they reminisce. Parts of the story were choppy. It would have been better to make the film longer than to butcher it.
In another instance, and the only one I can remember, I liked the movie El Cid better than the book. Most likely, the main reasons were Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren; also, the pageantry and music of the movie added immeasurably to the story. I found the development of the characters and the plot in the book disappointing in comparison.
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My favorite movie made from a book was Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring, and my biggest disappointment for a movie made from a book was Christine.
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My favorite movie based on a book would have to be To Kill A Mockingbird. I think that they did a wonderful job with the movie --- which is a very rare thing. The most disappointing was Terms Of Endearment. I so loved that movie, but just felt the book was not as good!
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My favorite movie based on a book is The Sweet Hereafter and my second favorite is In the Bedroom.
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The best book into movie was Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.
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My favorite movie that was a book is Harry Potter. A big disappointment was The Prince of Tides. The book was wonderful; the movie was mediocre.
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Out of Africa was my favorite movie based on a book.
Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic was the biggest disappointment in book to screen.
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I thought The Lord of the Rings and Pride and Prejudice were both well done. The TNT version of The Mists of Avalon was such a disappointment that I couldn't watch more than the first half-hour!
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Gone With the Wind --- greatest disappointment; the book was better than the movie.
To Kill a Mockingbird --- the movie was better than the book.
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Favorite movie: Marathon Man.
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Favorite movie based on a book: Gone With the Wind
Disappointment: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
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The best adaptation would have to be Chocolat. I wasn't overly thrilled with the movie or book, but they stayed as close as possible. The soundtrack is excellent. As for the best: The Godfather and The Lord of the Rings stayed with the storyline and were as passionate about he movie as they were about the book, right down to the scenery. Another good book to movie would have to be High Fidelity. Even though it was Americanized and a good portion of the Top 5 lists were left out, the book stayed true to form and was a great adaptation.
The worst would have to be Valentine. It wasn't even remotely close to the story that Savage wrote, but he sold them the book and it claims to be based on his book. There wasn't one thing that was from the book --- ok, maybe a name or two, but still AWFUL!
No book-to-movie is ever done without taking liberties. The book is always better than the movie. I haven't found a case where that wasn't true.
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I really can't answer that with one answer but certainly Gettysburgand Dances with Wolves are two that jump out at me. The Stephen King story It was my biggest disappointment, because the movie just couldn't bring the development of the relationships of the kids along. The book was able to let me feel their feelings for each other much better. We Were Soldiers was a movie that may actually be better than the book, as it takes a lot to read the book but the movie really told the story by hitting the best parts really well.
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My favorite movie based on a book was The Piano. I read the book before the movie came out and loved it. Then, when I heard it was being made into a movie, I couldn't wait to see it. I was not disappointed (my experience is that a movie is rarely as good as the book). I loved the movie too --- not because it was absolutely true to the book, but because it enhanced the book and provided beautiful form to my inadequate imagination. It was one of the most sensuous and stirring movies I have ever seen.
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My biggest disappointment has to be The Stand by Stephen King, although it is hard to pick which King novel was butchered the most on the silver screen. But The Perfect Storm was uniquely presented in both book and movie form.
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Snow Falling on Cedars --- loved the movie and the book.
The Cider House Rules --- strayed too much from the book.
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My favorite movie would have to be Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I also loved The Chamber of Secrets. My most disappointing movie would have to be Along Comes A Spider.
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I really, really loved the adaptation of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I thought it was one of the best "book-to-movie" movies in a very, very long time. My reading group had read it when it first came out, re-read it the month the movie was due, and went as a group to see the flick. It was a great time.
I enjoyed both the book and movie adaptation of In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden, although the movie didn't stay totally true to the book.
While I love Stephen King books, his movie adaptations are usually disappointments.
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The most disappointing movie I've ever seen based on a book isThe Firm, written by John Grisham and starring Tom Cruise. The best movie I've ever seen based on a book is To Kill A Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck. Another good one was The Hunt For Red October, written by Tom Clancy and starring Alec Baldwin.
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My favorite movie based on book is Gone With the Wind and my biggest disappointment is The Queen of the Damned.
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My favorite book-into-movie was Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg.
The biggest disappointment was Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.
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I loved Snow in August by Pete Hamill. The movie was good but not the best. The book Corelli's Mandolin was great, maybe because it was my first book discussion, but the movie bombed.
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My favorite movie that was based on a book was Emma (the book was written by Jane Austin). The biggest disappointment was Clan of the Cave Bear (the book was written by Jean M. Auel). The book was so much better.
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My favorite movie based on a book was The Graduate (with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft). I really felt they were true to the book (of course it helped that Charles Webb's book was a slimmer volume than, say, Lord of the Rings). My biggest disappointment doesn't come to mind right now --- maybe I just try to forget those.
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I loved the movie The Green Mile from Stephen King's book. The movie was still as powerful as the book. I thought the movie A Walk To Remember was better than the book, and I was surprised. It kept the story flowing faster to see the characters than to read about them.
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A book I really loved was Ordinary People by Judith Guest. I read it over and over. I really anticipated seeing the movie. The movie came out years after I read the book. I had heard Robert Redford was involved in the movie. My first disappointment was when I found out that he was going to be only the director and that he would not be on-screen. When the movie finally came out, I was also disappointed to find that, although it was essentially the same storyline, it was told from a totally different perspective. It focused more on family issues, what was going on with Conrad, AND his mother, AND his father, as well as the family as a whole than it did on Conrad (as in the book). Although the movie was great on its own (Mary Tyler Moore was particularly good), it was totally unlike the book. I was disappointed in that.
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Oh My Gosh! Can you get any better than To Kill a Mockingbird? I don't have a least favorite. I try to view films as separate entities than the books that sprouted them because I feel sorry for the author if a movie is REALLY bad (i.e. V. I. Warshawski.)
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Favorite movie: Gone with the Wind
Least favorite movie: Interview with the Vampire
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Thorn Bird --- I loved the book and the movie.
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The best movie based on a book in my opinion was Cider House Rules. In fact I think that the movie was better than the book in that some of the events of the book were omitted. The movie had a better flow.
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One of the best interpretations of a movie I have seen wasWaiting to Exhale. The movie seemed to take everything word for word from the author's published manuscript. On the other hand, one of my greatest disappointment was About a Boy. The book was hilarious, but seeing Hugh Grant in the main character's role just didn't fit for me.
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My favorite movie based on a book would have to be The Color Purple. I don't think most movies are as good as the books. My biggest disappointment with a book and a movie would have to beThe Beans of Egypt, Maine by Carolyn Chute
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What stands out right now in my mind, although I am sure I can think of others, is The Horse Whisperer. The book was wonderful and the movie was such a farce!!! Right down to the casting. No way when reading the book would you picture Robert Redford in that part. You would never know the movie was trying to portray the book, as they were so different. The movie was quite silly and the book was wonderful.
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Favorite movie based on a book: The French Lieutenant's Woman
Least favorite movie based on a book: Blade Runner
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My favorite movie based on a book (that I can think of) is Like Water for Chocolate. My biggest movie disappointment was White Oleander.
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To Kill a Mockingbird and The Cider House Rules were wonderful and followed the book. The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhoodwas the greatest disappointment --- it left out too much of the book.
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The Merchant Ivory film Room With a View was true to E.M Forster's novel, plus had wonderful settings in Italy and England that enhanced the story. I was disappointed in the TV movieSkinwalkers based on Tony Hillerman's mystery of the same name. The movie changed the mentor/novice relationship between Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee and glossed over the struggles to retain Native American culture, so the film became just another murder mystery in a Southwest setting.
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To date, my favorite book(s) to movie(s), actually there are or will be 4, are the Harry Potter movies --- The Sorcerer's Stoneand The Chamber of Secrets --- and Lord of the Rings. The movies are very close to the books and I thoroughly enjoyed them.
As for the least favorite, I'd have to say Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I had the opportunity to read the book first in an online book club and, upon finishing it, I rented the video for an added treat. I did like the movie --- it had quite a few of my favorite, quite consummate actresses in it --- but it was poorly adapted from the book and, at times, departing from the book altogether.
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One movie that was absolutely better than the book (in my opinion) was The Bridges of Madison County. Meryl Streep was fabulous and made me care about the woman that I felt no connection with when I read the book. I didn't care for Clint Eastwood's portrayal, as I always wished it had been played by Tom Skerritt or Robert Redford, but the movie as a whole was pretty powerful to watch. To read? Zzzzzzzzzz...
Both Harry Potter movies were as good as the book. My children and I enjoyed the excitement in both forms.
My biggest disappointment was Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. It was such a great book and the movie just did not do it justice.
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Best: Little Women (Susan Sarandon version)
Biggest disappointment: Starship Troopers
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My favorite movie that was based on a book was Brideshead Revisited. It was perfectly cast, retaining much of the original dialogue and ambiance of Evelyn Waugh's novel. My biggest disappointment, off the top of my head, was Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. There was a lot of advanced hype surrounding the remake of the film Manhunter (based on Red Dragon) and I thought several of the actors, particularly Edward Norton, were simply unable to achieve the true character. His boyish physicality lacked the proper level of experience you would expect to see in his character.
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Nick Hornby's novels High Fidelity and About a Boy have both been very successfully made into films. I particularly liked the film's ending for About A Boy. It was more conclusive than the novel, which just sort of stopped. The two Harry Potter movies are both satisfying visual versions of their books. Shrek is a very quirky children's storybook by William Steig, which was the basis for the extremely delightful animation feature.
Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear was made into an interesting movie experience.
My biggest disappointment of book-to-movie is from childhood: at the time, my perception was that Roald Dahl's story was much better than Mel Stuart's movie --- though in subsequent viewings, Gene Wilder is a wonderful Willy Wonka and the movie is greatly enjoyable. And I would never re-read The Lord of the Rings(including The Hobbit) again, so I am relieved that they have been turned into movies.
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My favorite movie that was based on a book is Rebecca. My biggest disappointment was The Bonfire of the Vanities.
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My favorite book that was made into a movie would have to be To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Both the book and the movie were terrific. The most disappointing book-to-movie would beCorelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres.
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Best: From Here To Eternity
Worst: Angela's Ashes
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My favorite book into a movie was The Green Mile by Stephen King. The biggest disappointment was Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. Great book, awful movie.
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Favorite movie based on a book: The Joy Luck Club
Biggest disappointment: Clan of the Cave Bear
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My favorites include The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. I have long been a lover of a well written fantasy --- one that is so detailed and graphic, one that gives us not just another world but a tool to look at our own world from another perspective, causing us to question our world. One of the worst books-to-movies was Jane Hamilton's A Map of the World. The book's character relationships were the story and the movie failed to present the strength of the characters AND their relationships. Movies so often do such injustice to the power of the written word, especially when it comes to a plot where the relationships build and move the story.
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My favorite book that was made into a movie was The Lord of the Rings. I appreciated the fact that very little changes were made in the storyline. It is obvious that the film's creator is a Tolkien fan and wanted to stay true to the book's theme. There were a couple of minor changes, but they do not detract from the story. I especially enjoyed the dialogue that is taken word-for-word from the book!
My least favorite movie made from a book is The Clan of the Cave Bear. Granted, it would be tough to make a movie based on characters that use gestures rather than speech to communicate, but the movie makers just butchered the plot and left out much of the detail that made the book so wonderful.
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My favorite movie that was based on a book was Tuck Everlasting. It was very faithful to the book and was a delightful movie. My biggest disappointment was About Schmidt. The movie was nothing like the book.
