Movies that turned out better than the book?

[tblue]

Fried Green Tomatoes: I did like the book but I LOVED the movie!

[ohiosmith]

1. Stand by Me. Short story: The Body

[digonswine]

2. Bridges of Madison County

I admit I only read a few pages of the tripe book. Gad! The writing!

[geardaddy]

3. Misery

Both the book and the movie were good. The movie followed the book very closely.

[Kceres]

7. Also "The Shining."

[ohiosmith]

12. Thought the book was far superior to the movie.

[amyrose2712]

43. Agreed! This was my first thought.

[RebelOne]

9. Actually, I thought the book was better.

The book was more graphic and did not show everything that she did to him.

[geardaddy]

22. I agree the book was great and by and large I prefer the books

to movies, but I would have to say this was a great film adaptation.

[pokerfan]

15. Also Shawshank and Stand By Me

both based on STephen King short stories. Not so much a knock on King as praising the film-making.

[Brickbat]

4. The "Field of Dreams" movie is MUCH better than the book. It's like editor the book never had but

sorely needed.

[taterguy]

5. Jaws

[NightWatcher]

6. Fight Club.

Me and Chuck have a love/hate thing

I love to read his stuff but I hate how disorganized he is at times.

[Chan790]

17. Interestingly...

Palahniuk liked the movie better too or so I've heard.

Both that he thinks Fincher's ending was better and also that it preserves the spirit of the book but cuts it to a much-sleeker telling by cutting out some meandering and disorganization and narrative threads that went nowhere.

[NightWatcher]

18. I'm glad other people thought it rambled pointlessly at times

I tried real hard to get through it

[6000eliot]

37. I use it as an example in my film and lit classes.

Students always have the impression that the book has to be better than the movie. This one disabuses them of that notion.

[alphafemale]

8. The Godfather - Psycho - Jaws - The Exorcist - The Green Mile - Gone with the Wind

OK

:hide:

:rofl:

Just kidding on that last one.

Just checking to see if anyone is paying attention.

[RebelOne]

10. Didn't know that Psycho was a book, but I loved the movie n/t

[libodem]

11. Running with Scissors

The book was good but the movie made it come to life.

[Brother Buzz]

13. Get Shorty

I loved the book and was disappointed they signed John Travolta to play Chili Palmer. I thought he'd be terrible for the part, but he nailed it. The movie had me in stitches.

[ohiosmith]

14. Agreed. The entire cast was great.

:thumbsup:

[Brother Buzz]

16. Did you know the real Chili Palmer had a one line cameo appearance in the movie?

He was one of Ray 'Bones' Barboni's thugs in the opening scene in the cafe.

[ohiosmith]

19. Really! I'll check it out on the DVD. Thanks.

:hi:

[petronius]

A River Runs Through It (nt)

[tblue]

20. The Wizard of Oz

The book was odd.

[alphafemale]

25. Yes it us.

My kids loved those books,

The movie is....charming.

What do you have against odd?

:hi:

[surrealAmerican]

21. To Kill a Mockingbird.

The movie was actually great; the book was trying too hard, and never really came off right.

[MicaelS]

23. Ben Hur - 1956 version

Great movie, awful book. I tried reading the book one time, and the language was flowery and verbose. Definitely a product of it's time (1880).

[grntuscarora]

24. Last of the Mohicans

I know the book is considered an American classic, but I couldn't finish it. The movie with Daniel Day Lewis on the otherhand... that's a classic.

[annonymous]

26. The Shawshank Redemption

The movie ending is truly classic and is much better than the ending of Stephen King's novella of the same name.

[WolverineDG]

27. The DaVinci Code

although, considering how much the book actually sucked, that wasn't much of a feat.

dg

[WinkyDink]

35. I thought the movie was AWFUL. Tom Hanks was totally miscast.

[WolverineDG]

38. Like I said, the book was horrid, so it wasn't too hard for the movie to be better

I didn't say the movie was "great" overall.

dg

[WinkyDink]

40. My point was that the book was BETTER.

But then, I've been reading about every single DVC topic since before Dan Brown could type.

[WolverineDG]

42. Really?

He drove me nuts, setting up scenes then running off on some tangent ripped off from Holy Blood, Holy Grail for 50 pages...all the while I'm screaming "PAY ATTENTION, THE MONK IS BEHIND YOU WITH A KNIFE!" GAH! :banghead:

So to me, the movie was loads better. :)

dg

[orion007]

28. Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates

Surprised that Kate Winslet wasn't nominated for an academy award...Di Capario passed over too, and Kathy Bates...


Revolutionary Road is a 2008 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes, from screenplay by Justin Haythe, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. It is based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates.

The film opened in limited release on December 26, 2008, and expanded wide on January 23, 2009. It was the first film in which DiCaprio and Winslet have co-starred since the 1997 film Titanic. It also included Titanic co-star Kathy Bates.

The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Supporting Actor (Michael Shannon).

[MorningGlow]

29. Limitless

The movie wasn't that great, but the book was one of the most excruciatingly boring and poorly written novels I've ever had the misfortune to read.

[Tom Ripley]

30. High Fidelity, The Ice Storm, The Godfather

[CaliforniaPeggy]

31. The African Queen

I haven't read the book, but my husband did, and he said it sucked majorly!

The movie, of course, is a classic.

Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn are amazing!

[vademocrat]

32. What Dreams May Come

Book was awful - and I usually like the book better than the movie.

[mainstreetonce]

33. Water for ElephantS

Movie was great

[WinkyDink]

34. "Jaws". "Marathon Man."

[NewJeffCT]

36. The Princess Bride

Good book overall, but the movie was terrific and it was brilliantly cast.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

39. FWIW

I'm not a huge Twi-fan but the movies- at least judging "New Moon" and "Eclipse"- have, by in large, been handled MUCH better than the books, which I found to be plodding for the most part and in desperate need of editing, which the movies handle well IMHO.

[quakerboy]

41. Star Wars

Actually, I am guessing here, the actual movie novelizations being on the very short list that could be classified as "Sci Fi I have not actually read"

[bigwillq]

44. The Bridges of Madison County

I thought the book was awful.

The movie, on the other hand, was beautiful. Such a well-made film.