What was your favorite movie that was based on a book, and what was your biggest disappointment?
Judith P.
Favorite: The movie versions of all of the Harry Potter books.
Wendy
Favorites: Fight Club and Lord of the Flies (either version)
Biggest Disappointments: The Time Traveler's Wife, Interview with the Vampire and Twilight.
stephanie
Eat, Pray, Love was great, but not as good as the book. Sphereand Congo based on the books by Michael Crichton were both huge disappointments.
Ginnie
The Best:Gone with the Wind
The Worst: Everything else.
Tanya
The Inkheart movie was better than the book.
Darlene M.
Rebecca, based on Daphne du Maurier's book REBECCA.
Marianne
One of my favorites is The Notebook. As to movies I was disappointed in, nothing comes to mind.
Margaret
I fell in love with the film Mary Poppins when I first saw it, especially after I read that P.L. Travers, the author, loved it. But it was also my biggest disappointment. It's charm didn't come close to the magic of the books! So from age 11 on, I've been saying, "The book is always better than the movie...ALWAYS!"
Ray P.
The Lord of the Rings movies were my favorite, and The Firmand The Bonfire of the Vanities were my biggest disappointments.
Ken F.
Favorite: To Kill a Mockingbird
Biggest Disappointment: Forrest Gump
Bonnie G.
Favorite: Gone with the Wind
Biggest Disappointment: The Great Gatsby
Mary W.
All the Harry Potter movies are my favorites, and My Sister's Keeper was my least favorite.
Mary M.
INTENSITY by Dean Koontz
Eileen K., Ph.D
Doctor Zhivago was great, but Eat, Pray, Love was a disaster. The book, on the other hand, was fabulous.
Cathy D.
Well, for favorites, I guess it's a tie between The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter movies. They were well done, and they didn't waver too much from the original stories. My biggest disappointment was when they made a movie based on WATCHERS by Dean Koontz. The only thing that was the same as the book was the dog named Einstein.
Jean R.
My Sister's Keeper, based on the novel by Jodi Picoult
kerry
Gone with the Wind --- I loved the movie so much I read the book. Of course, the book was much better. My biggest disappointment was The Clan of the Cave Bear. It was a real stinker.
K
Let Me In. I loved that film --- it's one of the best films I have ever seen. It's about emotionally dealing with bullies, and it has a truly unique take on vampires. What a love story --- a must-see movie. It's even better than the book.
Marsha N.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is my favorite. There has been no major disappointment for me.
levy
Favorite: Someone to Run With, based on the book by David Grossman
Biggest Disappointment: Proust
Lana M.
Favorite: Murder on the Orient Express, as it actually followed the original story
Worst: The Ugly American --- I read the book and loved it, but Marlon Brando was absolutely the pits, and he ruined the whole story.
L. Buckner
Favorite Book-Based Movie: Atonement, followed by The Secret Life Of Bees
Biggest Disappointment: My Sister's Keeper --- they should have never changed the ending!
Renee L.
My biggest disappointment was My Sister's Keeper.
Susan
I loved the movie Eat, Pray, Love --- the scenery was beautiful, and so were the people in the movie! My biggest disappointment was My Sister's Keeper. I absolutely hated the movie.
gail
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
NOREEN B.
The best was Gone with the Wind.
Carol C.
Favorite movie: The King's Speech
Jean
Favorite: Gone with the Wind
Biggest Disappointment: My Sister's Keeper
Tom C.
Best: Gone with the Wind
Biggest Disappointment: The Bonfire of the Vanities
Elizabeth V
Biggest disappointment: The Good German
Favorite: To Kill a Mockingbird
Sue L.
The Secret Garden
Debbie W.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is my favorite. My biggest disappointment was My Sister's Keeper.
Kari R.
Sense and Sensibility (1995) is my favorite. The Portrait of a Lady (1996) is my least favorite. I think they completely missed the point of Henry James's novel by trying to make to story more dramatic.
F Tessa B.
Favorite: To Kill a Mockingbird
Biggest Disappointment: The Horse Whisperer
Lisa
My favorite movie based on a book is The Accidental Tourist, based on the novel by Anne Tyler. It's difficult to capture the nuances and rhythm of her writing, and the movie succeeded on nearly every level. My biggest disappointments are The Lovely Bones, based on the novel by Alice Sebold (Peter Jackson and the actors were all wrong for the material) and The Little Drummer Girl, based on the novel by John Le Carre. I love Diane Keaton, but she was 10-15 years too old for the part.
Linda
Favorite: Gone with the Wind
Biggest Disappointment: A Room with a View
Judith M.
Fried Green Tomatoes was my favorite. My least favorite wasThe Time Traveler's Wife.
Denise L.
My favorite movie based on a book is the Disney version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. My biggest disappointment was My Sister's Keeper. They should have never changed the ending.
Linda W.
Favorite: True Grit
lindab
Favorite: Seabiscuit
Biggest Disappointment: I rarely watch movies that are based on books because I'm almost always disappointed.
Rita M.
Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove" is probably one of the best adaptations from novel to a miniseries that I have seen. I have watched it many times, and I enjoy it immensely.
Rita M.
My most recent biggest disappointment has been the Twilightseries. The acting was just corny and stilted, which was such a shame...
Janet
My favorite was The Secret Life of Bees, as I felt it was the one that most followed the book. My biggest disappointment was My Sister's Keeper, as it took on a whole different ending.
becki
I guess the classic Shirley Temple movie, Heidi, would be close to my favorite, but I generally find movies that are based on books to be disappointing. I was most disappointed by Gone with the Wind.
Robert R.
Silence of the Lambs is my favorite, as it was true to the book --- I could not believe that they would be able to capture the true feeling of the book. My biggest disappointment is almost 90% of book-based movies.
Lorna
It's hard to choose a favorite, but Pet Sematary was one of them. My Sister's Keeper was the biggest disappointment. The ending was different from the one in the book.
Cynthia
The Count of Monte Cristo was a huge disappointment!
Charles F
Favorite: The Lord of the Rings
Biggest Disappointment: The Golden Compass
Pat C.
Favorite: Atonement
Biggest Disappointment: The Box
Ellen
I thought the Harry Potter movies were true to the books, and as fun for adults as they were for kids.
My biggest disappointment? The Prince of Tides. I loved the book, but the movie was lacking.
Angela S.
My favorite movie based on a book is Gone with the Wind, and my biggest disappointment was The Memory Keeper's Daughter.
Jeanne K.
Favorite: Get Shorty
Stacey K.
Favorite: Shutter Island
Biggest Disappointment: Eclipse
Jane H.
Gone with the Wind is my favorite, and I have two "worst" ---My Sister's Keeper and The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood.
Janet T.
I can tell you right off the bat that my biggest disappointment was My Sister's Keeper. Are you kidding me --- why would they change the ending of a terrific book? But The Painted Veil is one of my favorites.
Michelle @ The True Book Addict
I have a lot of favorites, but the one that stands out most is probably The Silence of the Lambs. The Queen of the Damnedhas been, hands down, my biggest disappointment. They totally screwed up my favorite book...grrr!
Cynthia S.
I loved "The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance" miniseries, both based on novels of the same names by Herman Wouk.
My biggest disappointment has been the Twilight movies, based on the Stephenie Meyer books. The books were so much better than the movies. The book series is wonderful for all ages. The movies cater to teenage angst, but leave out relevant details from the books, such as how each of the Cullens were transformed into vampires. That background information made the book series what it is.
Harriet S.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is my all-time favorite book, movie and play. Can there be any other?
My biggest disappointment was True Crime, which was based on the book by Andrew Klavan. The movie by Clint Eastwood never came close to the enjoyment I experienced while reading the book.
Mary Q.
My favorite was Cold Mountain. I was disappointed in My Sister's Keeper.
Amy
Favorite: Dear John
The Disappointment: The Lovely Bones
Sheryl K.
Legends of the Fall --- the movie was much better than the short story it was based on. The English Patient, both the book and the movie, were excellent. At first, I was disappointed in the movie versions of The Prince of Tides after reading Pat Conroy’s phenomenal book, but I have now come to love it. The Joy Luck Club was, for me, a better movie than a book. Two of my favorite books are in desperate need of updated movie remakes: EAST OF EDEN by John Steinbeck and THE GOOD EARTH by Pearl S Buck. Silence of the Lambs is probably the movie that most closely resembles the original novel. Exodus and The Godfatherare also favorites, but it's been many years since I've read the books. I have read James A. Michener's CENTENNIAL three times, and I loved the original mini-series, as well as Spielberg's "Into the West," which is pretty similar. SOPHIE’S CHOICE was a tough read, but a phenomenal movie. MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA was a truly great book and movie. I could never forget “The Thorn Birds.” Over the next few years, I am looking forward to the movie version of Sarah's Key.
Patricia B.
Favorite: Twilight
Biggest Disappointment: The Count of Monte Cristo (any version, as none stick to the book and its true ending)
Marge H.
Message in a Bottle
Christina T.
Favorite: Peter Jackson's version of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Biggest Disappointment: Eragon
Ali
Favorite: Message in a Bottle
Biggest Disappointment: The Bridges of Madison County
Rita P.
Gone with the Wind is still my favorite, even after all these years. I do not have a biggest disappointment.
Kathy
Silence of the Lambs was my favorite, and The Horse Whispererwas my bigget disappointment.
Marilyn
Pride and Prejudice was my favorite (both the Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth version and the Keira Knightley version). The Color Purplewas a disappointment because I thought they "prettified" it way too much for such a gritty novel.
Kathleen D.
FAV: True Grit --- by FAR!!
LEAST FAV: The Social Network --- i mean, really !?
Elizabeth M.
My favorite movie based on a book was The Shipping News.
The biggest disappointment for me was P.S. I Love You --- not because the movie didn't live up to the expectations I had, but because I saw the movie first and was disappointed in the book.
dennis
Favorite: the "Lonesome Dove" TV series
Biggest Disappointment: The Prince of Tides
Deb E.
My favorie was Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I thought they did a great job following the book. The worst was Twilight. Why were we looking at so many trees?
Jen
The Lord of the Rings was fantastic as a book trilogy and really great as a movie series. My biggest disappointment was the firstTwilight movie --- horrible! I'm waiting for the American-made versions of The Millennium Trilogy to come out...I'm hoping for some good movies because I LOVED the books!
Katherine S.
Favorite: Gone with the Wind --- A CLASSIC
Biggest Disappointment: Sundays at Tiffany's --- it was only a Lifetime movie, but I was really let down because the book was so good!
Kathy V.
I'm going to go all the way back to 1972 and say that The Godfather was my favorite movie based on a book. It still holds up as a superior interpretation, and it is just as meaningful today as it was 39 years ago.
As for the worst, there have been some really bad book-based movies, but the recent standout for me is My Sister's Keeper --- such a wonderful book turned into an awful movie. I would say that Angela's Ashes is a pretty bad book-based movie, as well, but the top honor goes to My Sister's Keeper.
Patricia P.
Along Came A Spider --- the movie left out some key scenes that the book made come alive!!
Fran K.
The King's Speech was my favorite. And my biggest disappointment was that I wasn't disappointed at all!
Micki
Favorites: Most of the films based on Jane Austen books, since it's wonderful to see the period costumes and sets.
Biggest Disappointment (and a perfect example of how awful adaptations can be): Atonement --- why would you even attempt to make a film based on this wonderful piece of writing?
Suzanne G.
Snow Falling on Cedars
The Reader
mary f.
In retrospect, Bambi. But my current favorite is True Grit.
Laura A.
I really enjoyed the Harry Potter movies and the Twilightmovies. I disliked both The Lovely Bones and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Susan
Favorite: Gone with the Wind
Biggest Disappointment: The Horse Whisperer --- they changed the ending.
Ani G.
My favorite was The Horse Whisperer, and my biggest disappointment was The Da Vinci Code.
Melanie
Gone With the Wind is my favorite. My Sister's Keeper was a good movie, but it was also my biggest disappointment because they completely changed the ending!
Mamie E.
Favorite: The Lord of the Rings
Biggest Disappointment: Gone with the Wind
Diane B.
The Secret Life of Bees. I wasn't at all disappointed; I found the movie to be true to the book.
Sandra
AN UNFINISHED LIFE by Mark Spragg was a favorite book of mine, and the movie was almost as good.
Lynn B.
Favorite: Doubt
Biggest Disappointment: The Time Traveler's Wife
Francisca E B
Like Water for Chocolate was one of the best. I can't think of one that was a huge disappointment, though I really didn't like the first Lord of the Rings movie (and I so didn't see the other two at all). There was too much graphic violence.
Rebecca C.
Favorite: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Biggest Disappointment: None
Candice M.
I think my favorite movie that was based on a book isSomewhere in Time. For once, the movie was BETTER than the book!
J Whittymore
Favorite: The Bridges of Madison County
Most Disappointing: The Harry Potter movies
Bob P.
Favorite: Mystic River
Biggest Disappointment: Blood Work
Pat B.
Favorite: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Biggest Disappointment: None
Alisa R.
My Fair Lady was my favorite, although that was actually based on a play, not a book, so it's a bit of a stretch. Confessions of a Shopaholic was my biggest disappointment.
Carolyn M.
Favorite Movie: Fried Green Tomatoes
Biggest Disappointment: The Kite Runner
Brenda S.
My biggest disappointment was the original version of The Shinging. I loved the book, and I looked forward to the movie. It just didn't stand up to the book.
Barbara B.
Favorite: The Godfather, based on the book by Mario Puzo
Biggest Disappointment: The Shipping News based on the book by Annie Proulx
Wendy C.
My biggest disappointment would have to be My Sister's Keeperby Jodi Picoult. My live book club loved the book, and when we went to see the movie the ending was totally different. We were shocked and disappointed.
Diane D.
My favorites were definitely the movies based on The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc.), and I suppose the worst was The Scarlet Letter!
Kara
As yet, I haven't been disappointed by a movie based on a book. So far, my favorite has been Startdust, based on the book by Neil Gaiman. But my favorite book of all time is ATLAS SHRUGGED. Part One is being released as a movie next month, and I can't wait to see it --- it looks amazing.
Carol
Favorite: Gone with the Wind
Biggest Disappointment: I can't remember the name, but it was based on an Alistair MacLean book. The book was great, but the movie was so awful I've blocked it from my memory.
Anita L.
The best will always be To Kill a Mockingbird. I was disappointed in My Sister's Keeper and The Lovely Bones...it's hard to say which was the least true to the book.
Teri
Favorite: The Firm
Biggest Disappointment: Message in a Bottle
Theresa H.
The Bourne Identity --- it was a great book, but the movie didn't follow the book at all.
Pam C.
Favorite Movie Based on a Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Biggest Disappointment: The Kite Runner
Donna C.
Favorite: To Kill a Mockingbird
Biggest Disappointment: Pride & Prejudice
Nancy K.
Gone with the Wind was my favorite. The most recent version ofThe Scarlet Letter, in which the ending was changed, is my biggest disappointment to date.
Joan
Favorite: Gone with the Wind
Biggest Disappointment: Cold Mountain
Ed M.
The Prince of Tides. The movie turns an epic book into a semi-sweet love story. Gawd, the brother isn't even in the movie, and that's what the whole book is about (besides growing up as an outsider and being a diatribe against entrenched powers and the power of family, even when it is seriously flawed). I loved the turtle in the book, and there's no mention of it in the movie.
Elizabeth S.
My favorite is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Lenita
Favorite: Gone With the Wind (what else?)
Biggest Disappointment: 5 Against the House, which was based on the novel by Jack Finney and made into a movie circa 1955. It was one of Mr. Finney's most exciting books, but the movie was horribly miscast, and it was not even close to the original story.
Kathy S.
To Kill a Mockingbird and Gone with the Wind were both favorites.
Michele M.
My favorite was To Kill a Mockingbird. I like movies that follow the book and play out the book on the screen in a way that reflects what I already have in my head. I loved the book THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, and I was so disappointed in the movie --- it just didn't make any sense.
V. Taylor
My favorite movie based on a book has to be Gone with the Wind; even with the changes, it was a great movie that didn't really take anything away from the experience of reading the book. My biggest disappointment to date is My Sister's Keeperbecause they completely changed the ending!
Lee
My all-time favorite movie that's based on a book is To Kill A Mockingbird, but my most recent one is The Girl Who Played with Fire. I was disappointed in all of the Harry Potter movies, except for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Gary I.
Favorite: Marathon Man
Biggest disappointment: Ghost Story
Iva S.
Gone with the Wind is at the top of my list, and so is Pillars of the Earth. My biggest disappointments were The Secret Life of Bees and Eat, Pray, Love.
vicki f.
Fried Green Tomatoes was the best, and Silence of the Lambswas the worst.
B.J. S.
I loved Mystic River, but I was disappointed in Shutter Island. Both movies are based on books by Dennis Lehane.
Sarah T.
LONESOME DOVE is my favorite book, and I thought the TV mini-series was excellent. I was disappointed by My Sister's Keeper.
Barbara
Gone with the Wind is my favorite because of Winn Dixie. I can't think of a biggest disappointment because I often avoid the movie if I loved the book!
Connie R.
Pride & Prejudice (the Colin Firth version) is my favorite book/movie combination. The most disappointing was Their Eyes Were Watching God. I don't think Oprah understood that the book wasn't a love story; it was the story of a woman finding herself through her life experiences and relationships.
Judy C.
It's a tie between The Godfather and The Silence of the Lambs.
Gretchen P.
The Horse Whisperer was a huge disappointment --- it was not a PG-13 story. Most movie-makers (and a very high percentage, at that) take too much advantage of their ability to change the story. My favorite (if I had to pick one) might be Seabiscuit. They couldn't change much with that one!
Casey
The book SHUTTER ISLAND was good as was the movie, but I was disappointed by The Horse Whisperer.
Kathy
Along Came a Spider --- some of the movie was in line with the book, but the very beginning was nothing like it.
Susan G.
Jaws was the best and, The Shipping News was one of my biggest disappointments.
Geri D.
My Favorite Movie Based on a Book: It's a tie between Little Women and Bridge to Terabithia
Worst: A Wrinkle in Time
Mellena
My favorite movies based on books would have to be The Lord of the Rings movies, and my biggest disappointment would have to be Harry Potter.
bobbie d.
My favorite was Gone with the Wind, and biggest my disappointment was The Accidental Tourist.
Courtney F.
Favorite: Gone with the Wind
Biggest Disappointment: There are so many!
Gerri M.
The Hunt for Red October was my favorite.
Linda
The first Harry Potter movie was wonderful --- it was just as I pictured it in my head while I was reading the book. I thoughtEat, Pray, Love was terrible, though. I like Julia Roberts, but I felt like she was really miscast, and (amazingly) the main character felt even more neurotic and self-centered than she did in the book.
kitty
Snow Falling on Cedars was my favorite, while Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was a big disappointment.
Judy G.
All of the Stieg Larsson movies exceeded my expectations. As a result, I have started to view other Swedish films and read other Swedish books, including The Crusades Trilogy by Jan Guillou.
Teresa T.
Silence of the Lambs
Marie S.
Mystic River
Marie S.
Mystic River was one of my favorites, as was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button --- a movie based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Sylvia A.
My biggest disappointment was My Sister's Keeper because the ending in the book was so unexpected, and I was impressed with the author's creativity. It was the first book I had ever read by Jodi Picoult, and since finishing it, I have tried to read all of her books. In the movie, they totally changed the ending, and I was so disappointed; I told all of my reading friends not to watch it.
Diana
I loved the Twilight and Harry Potter movies, but I was disappointed with My Sister's Keeper.
Janell B.
The King's Speech is my favorite.
Marilyn P.
Doctor Zhigavo is my favorite movie based on a book, andCaptain Corelli's Mandolin was my biggest disappointment.
Pam R.
Favorite: The Hobbit
Biggest Disappointment: The Lovely Bones
Diane H.
My favorite movie based on a book was Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I think Callie Khouri really caught the flavor of the book. My biggest disappointment was The Prince of Tides. Barbra Streisand ripped out the heart and soul of the book, and she did not convey the essesnce of the South Carolina low country and its influence on Tom.
Carol B.
I loved The Time Traveler's Wife! I haven't been disappointed with any.
kim
The Color Purple
Rosalie S.
My biggest disappointment was The Kite Runner. It was one of my favorite books, but the movie was a total wast. My favorite movie based on a book is Rebecca.
Nadine H.
My favorite movie based on a book is The Prince of Tides.
Carol C.
Gone with the Wind was my favorite movie based on a book. There would have some parts of the book that I would have put in that they didn't include, though. However, it has been a while since I read the book or saw the movie.
Valerie G.
Jaws was my favorite movie based on a book, and Girl with a Pearl Earring was a disappointment.
Brenda S.
Favorite: Gone with the Wind
Biggest Disappointment: My Sister's Keeper
