The Curator: the book isn’t always better
Book-to-movie adaptations for your best summer ever. Books by Gillian Flynn and Don Winslow.
If I could stop the publishing industry from doing one thing, it would be unstandardized book sizing [the number of near meltdowns I’ve had from mismatched books is concerning]. And if I could stop them from doing a second thing, it would be putting their entire marketing budget towards the same five writers. But the THIRD thing I would stop them from doing is
MOVIE TIE-IN COVERS.
Seriously do not ruin my book cover with a picture of Ben Affleck. If the book came first, let it BE.
Regardless of what travesty they wreck on the cover, I do enjoy a good movie or TV adaptation of my favoritest books. When I started listing all the books I could feature in this newsletter, I realized the film industry hasn’t had an original thought since 1980… just kidding they have some but like seriously novel writers should automatically be inducted into the Writers Guild at this point.
So what makes a good adaptation? Staying true to the original text while providing something new in terms of visual representation. We want the same vibies but give me a reason to hear the story again! Don’t stray so far from the original plotline that I spend the entire movie stifling a “that didn’t happen in the book”. Then show me what I missed between the lines - the moments that aren’t spelled out for us.
Some of my favorite adaptations where the book and movie/show are equally amazing: Harry Potter, Little Women, The Shining, L.A. Confidential, The Silence of the Lambs, Big Little Lies, and Mindhunter.
But what happens when the show or movie is BETTER than the book? When the book is simply the catalyst, but the adaptation takes it to a whole new level? Then you have a case of Better Vibes in Translation and it’s usually due to either the story itself or the power of a good director/actors. Examples -
The Godfather by Mario Puzo is one of the best movies of the century even to today’s standards (some would say THE best), while the book definitely feels aged [I wrote about it here: The Godfather, a Poem]. The cast is stacked and Coppola is a ledge.
Blade Runner1 by Phillip K. Dick took us to a new planet, a new age of AI, and captured this visual existence better than any novel could do. The visual symbolism and blending of robots with humans was extremely effective, while the book felt a bit dry.
The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood is a slim novel, only the beginning of the story. Atwood stops the plot with a cliffhanger - was Offred taken away by friend or foe? We would never know if it wasn’t for the adaptation - we get five more seasons of the story! AND the book doesn’t have Elizabeth Moss’ face so it’s not even a fair comparison…
If you watch movies or TV, I’m sure you also have your favorite (and least favorite) adaptations, but I think there is one thing we can all agree on - read the book FIRST!
FURTHER READING 💻→
The Atlantic goes the opposite way to show up with a list of book-to-movie grievances: The Trouble with Making Books We Love into Movies.
The Verge on Why Hollywood is Turning to Books for its Biggest Productions.
Although I’m not sure I agree with all entries, BookBub has a list of 40 of Our All-Time Favorite Book-to-Movie Adaptations.
BOOK [+ Adaptation] REVIEWS 📓→
For this summer movie adaptation edition, I present two adaptations in review. One is grass the other is trash! Because unfortunately, sometimes the movie is unworthy of the space it takes up in the cloud. They can’t all be winners.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Directed by David Fincher
Gone Girl sold more than 20 million copies. TWENTY MILLION EYEBALLS read this book. It was one of the top five books of the decade, and it is both the most compelling and best-written on the list. So of course the Hollywood piranhas jumped all over this potential cash grab.
What both book and movie do well: Suck you into the insanity of a toxic marriage. Amy and Nick are clearly UNWELL. They are both equally guilty of harm - her insatiable need to control the narrative and his cold indifference make them both lose it (albeit Amy is eviler). Both texts are about the narratives we construct, the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of things or fulfill our own psychosis.
What the book does better: Inner monologues that bring you straight to the character’s psychosis (trust nobody), re: The Cool Girl Speech. The cultural impact of this passage on my inchoate little twenty-something brain was stupendous. She so clearly articulated what it was like in the early 00s to be
“the girl who likes every fucking thing he likes and doesn’t ever complain”
that it’s painful. It was so powerful, in fact, that there are articles dedicated to analyzing the monologue. [Also the part about slathering lotion - my god I can’t apply lotion to this day without thinking about it].
What the movie does better: Without spoiling a thing (since you’ve been under that rock I see), the violence in Amy. Fincher does his Fincher thing in a scene with NPH and I can never unsee it. Also, the gray washed-out filter over everything captures the depression and delusion perfectly.
Both book and movie are well worth the time and meet all criteria for a strong adaptation. I even found a movie cover tie-in edition of Gone Girl at the local thrift book store last weekend and of course, I hate bought it. I now own Ben Affleck’s face on my bookshelf!!
I give this adaptation an Uncool Girl 5 Stars
Savages by Don Winslow, Directed by Oliver Stone
Look listen. Hollywood LOVES the war on drugs. I’m sure you could name three shows or movies right now (Narcos, Breaking Bad, Blow). It’s the perfect modern outlaw set-up - which bad guy are you gonna root for because lezbehonest the government isn’t much better than the gangs in these stories. Usually, you root for the one with the fun guns and flashy outfits.
Savages is a story about drugs and money and girls and the little guy winning. You would think this movie would be badass.
Unfortunately, we here have a case of Blake Lively ruining the party. I’m sorry to this woman, but her narration is what I imagine TikTok would have been like in 2010 - a bunch of weed-smoking oversexed children pretending to be grown. There are some good parts, but it’s real hard to get past the first 30-ish minutes before Lively’s character is kidnapped (and we all rejoiced).
The book itself is a bit ridiculous but it works - the slang, the smarty business talk, the irony and sarcasm and portrayal of WASPY Laguna Beach. It’s fast and smart. The movie is sadly just plain cheesy.
Compare the opening lines. The movie: “Just because I’m telling you this story, doesn’t mean I’m alive at the end of it” [eyeroll] versus
Fuck You.
BAD VIBE TRANSLATING award to the screenwriters. Hence,
I give this adaptation Be Ice Cream or Be Nothing Zero Stars.
READING 📖→
Started Mystic River by Dennis Lehane because I wanted something compelling and boy did I get that. Will be watching this Sean Penn classic after I’m done crying…
Listening Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann in preparation for the Scorsese movie release and my excitement levels are 10/10 rn.
WATCHING 📽️→
Rewatched The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix and man is it DARK. Traumatized children who grow into repressed traumatized adults? And the only sibling to get a therapist is the one who dies? Ya’ll need meds!
BOOK NEWS 📰→
More adaptations more more more! A few coming soon:
Jennifer Egan is experiencing a resurgence with a two-for-one - A Visit from the Goon Squad and The Candy House will be a TV show per lithub (Olivia Wilde better not f*ck this up!).
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer is getting its second moment in the spotlight thanks to Netflix: watch the trailer.
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis was JUST published and is already slated for prestige TV thanks to HBO. Good thing it has a built-in soundtrack and lots of movie-going scenes (Hollywood loves a little self-promotion). Read about it here: Deadline.
Our favorite non-problematic popstar Dua Lipa started a book club and the inaugural selection is Booker Prize Winner Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. I’ve had this on my shelf for longer than I’d like to admit, so looks like the perfect time to join another book club & quit halfway through! —> Service95 Book Club
Please read this completely unhinged article from the NEW YORK TIMES on Elizabeth Holmes going to jail. My favorite passage:
At FPC Bryan, Ms. Holmes, known for wearing black turtlenecks to mimic Steve Jobs while running Theranos, and, during her trial, sporting heels, sheath dresses and a diaper bag, will wear prison-issued khaki pants and shirts in pastel green, gray, or white with athletic shoes that must not exceed $100 in value.
Thank you for this invaluable insight NYT!
LET’S CHAT☺→
This week: leave a comment with your favorite book to movie/TV adaptation and why. Share with the class so we can enjoy too!
Or per ush, let me know what you’ve been reading in the comments. I’m always game for a good rec (or warning, grievances, etc. ). If you tell me your favorite TV show or movie lately, I’ll give you a book recommendation.
In Case You Missed It 🖤
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See you around the bookshelf!
Natalie
The book is titled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (you can see why they changed the name on this one)
You just broke the news to me that All the Light We Cannot See was finally made into a movie! I knew my now-husband, then-tennis instructor was into me when he texted me from his vacation to say he was reading it. I’d mentioned that it was #1 on my list of books that need to be made into movies!