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I’m truly the biggest book snob you’ll ever meet, but you’ll never catch me making that generalized statement, “The book is always better.” Although I strongly believe the book is usually better, some stories come across more effortlessly on screen than on the page. It’s all a matter of proper execution, and some directors just have a better vision than the authors who create the source material.
And yet, more often than not, the film pales in comparison to the original novel.
With this in mind, these are some of the worst book-to-movie adaptations of all time, that took literary gold and turned it into commercialized fluff, IMO.
Here are the most disappointing book-to-movie adaptations ever.
Les Misérables
Oh, man. I can go on and on about Victor Hugo’s literary masterpiece, which was such an important piece of storytelling that it literally changed French history as we know it. The novel is widely praised as one of the most important works of fiction of all time, but the movie is not so great.
In fact, the 2012 musical adaptation completely misses the mark on both the original novel and the beloved Broadway musical. Plus, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe’s singing is questionable to say the least. Yeah, let’s just leave it at that.
One Day
IMDB
Don’t get me wrong, the 2011 romance movie starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess is pretty solid in its own right. Their chemistry is off the charts, Hathaway gives her all to the role, and the movie refuses to shy away from the more complex elements of the novel.
But compared to the best-selling book, which reads as a literary romance for the ages, it deserves an adaptation that’s way more profound than this uninspired romp. The cinematography is lazy at best, the pacing doesn’t work, and there’s a classic Hollywood airbrushed element to the movie that takes away from the literary merit of David Nicholls’ novel. But, hey, at least the recent Netflix mini-series adaptation got it right!
Me Before You
IMDB
Emilia Clarke gives her all to her leading performance in Me Before You, but not even the Mother of Dragons herself can save this overly commercialized script. The book version of Me Before You had me literally choking on my sobs and wiping away tears months after I put it down, due to its profound depth. But the movie? It just took all the magic out of Jojo Moyes’ novel.
The Stepford Wives
IMDB
This book by Ira Levin is a feminist classic that has gone down in history as one of the most chilling dystopian tales of all time. But the 2004 movie starring Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick practically made a mockery of the source material. It turned the classic work into a slapstick comedy, and that’s just straight up absurd to me.
50 Shades of Grey
Amazon
The book was no Nobel Prize winner, and the movie refused to do the source material any favors. I think we, as a society, just want to pretend this whole saga never happened. Sorry, E.L. James!
Gone Girl
IMDB
I know everyone loves this movie, but I thought it was garbage compared to the novel. I hated the film's cinematography (or lack thereof). I also hated the lack of context that the book effortlessly provides. It just pales in comparison to Gillian Flynn’s masterpiece.
Sleeping With The Enemy
Amazon
The 90s movie starring Julia Roberts is a guilty pleasure of mine, and the Hollywood legend shines in her leading role. But with that being said, the book is just a million times better and deserves all the recognition in the world. So much better than the movie!
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
IMDB
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Harry Potter films. But the fact that Order of the Phoenix is the longest novel, and they’ve managed to condense it into the shortest film of the bunch, is just straight up wrong. They took out all of the substance, and that’s unforgivable!
Which book-to-movie adaptation rubbed you the wrong way? Let us know in the comments!
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