# Movies that Ruin the Book **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 15, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386 "2003-08-15T14:43:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/101 "2003-08-20T15:47:26Z")
P.S. _The Legend of Bagger Vance_ Thought the movie was good until I read the book. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/102 "2003-08-30T02:42:57Z")
A dystopian world in which the only form of communication between leftover villages is a postman making his rounds. Probably one of the best concepts of a book that was rarely read, thanks to Kevin Costner. ---
**Author:** ![Eowyn\_the\_Mercotan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Eowyn\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eowyn_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/103 "2003-08-30T03:18:00Z")
The movie version of Stephen King’s “It” was horrible, and the movie “The Langoliers” just horribley, horribley mutilated the short story. I have basically refused to watch any movie versions of Stephen Kind books ever since. ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/104 "2003-08-31T10:18:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homer J. Simpson \* > \*\*Worst adaptation ever, hands down — Breakfast at Tiffany’s. > > I would love to see notes from the script meeting. > > “There wasa guy and a girl in the book. Let’s have them fall in love. Nevermind the guy is pretty obviously gay in the book. And nevermind having the girl stay at end changes the whole meaning. I smell box-office gold.” \*\* And that landlord! That was one of the most offensive stereotypes or racial caricatures I’ve ever seen in a movie. I mean, I know it was a different era, but there’s no way I’ll believe they wrote that part and permitted it to performed that way without understanding that it was inappropriate. No way. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*I had planned to see **Contact,** based on the novel by Carl Sagan, but I heard the movie ruined the book so much that I decided against it. \*\* Actually, it wasn’t that bad. I first saw it when it was released theatrically and was upset that it made so many changes from the book. But then years later, I saw it on TV and realized that they actually managed to work most of the themes into the movie. Yes, there were some differences and not all of them were to my liking. For instance, Ellie and Palmer are lovers off and on throughout the movie. And they left out the alien/father’s fascinating analogy about finding the creator’s “signature” in pi. But I definitely recomend it, if for no other reason than the brilliant (as always) performance of Jodie Foster, who was personally chosen for the role by Sagan himself, by the way. In fact, although he died before the film was made, Sagan had a lot of input in the creation of the film. It’s very possible that some – or even most – of the changes were his idea. You should definitely check it out. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Podkayne \*\*\*rjung, I was very ambivalent about _Contact_ the movie. I was especially disappointed by the lame jabs it took at atheism. When I later read the novel, I was relieved to find that it is much more thoughtful and philosophical on the subject–and about everything else for that matter. If you have a chance sometime, though, watch the first few minutes of the film for the cosmic pull-back. \*\* Actually, it’s interesting to note that Sagan was an atheist (at least according to “famous atheists” listings on the ever-reliable Internet). I had a lot of other things I wanted to say about _Contact_, but they seem have all been said here already, so nevermind. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FisherQueen \* > **_The Haunting_ just needs to be taken out back and shot.** I totally agree with you here. Loved the book and the original adaptaion, hated the remake. Of course, I sort of knew what I was in for when I saw the trailer (back when they were still calling it _The Haunting of Hill House_) and it said, "From the director of _Speed_ and _Twister_. Subtlety is _not_ Jan de Bont’s forte. And the shitty thing is, they changed so many things that they could have changed the name of the movie, the names of the characters, and maybe one or two story details and they wouldn’t have had to pay royalties to Shirley Jackson’s estate. And taken strictly on its own merits and not as an adaptation of a book I loved, I probably would have liked the movie. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sublight \* > \*\*Many adaptations of Stephen King’s shorter stories aren’t so much bad as completely disconnected to anything he wrote. _The Running Man_, as someone mentioned earlier, along with \*_Maximum Overdrive_ and _The Lawnmower Man_ are almost completely unrecognizable. \*\* Actually, _The Lawnmower Man_ wasn’t even a true adaptation of the short story, the filmmakers just stole the title. Stephen King actually sued to have his name removed from the advertising when the film was released to video. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElwoodCuse \* > \*\*Verhoeven wasn’t trying to do an adaptation of _Starship Troopers_. His idea and concept for the film pre-dated the acquisition of the Starship Troopers license, and he openly admits that he didn’t like the book. \*\* Then why did he _call_ it _Starship Troopers_? It’s like what I was saying about _The Haunting_. It’s not like _Starship Troopers_ was such a well known book that he was counting on the title to draw in millions of ticket buyers. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/105 "2003-08-31T17:24:04Z")
I’ll defend “Contact”. Yes, the movie has Palmer doing better when arguing with Ellie, but the movie actually has an unabashed atheist character. Who doesn’t have a last minute conversion to theism! This is shocking stuff for a Hollywood movie. I thought the movie was a very well done adaptation of the book. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/106 "2003-09-05T02:14:55Z")
Here’s one that goes back a-ways, and it’s an adaptation of a play, not a book (although I’m sure the play’s been published in bound form, so it still sorta belongs): _Our Town_ by Thornton Wilder. Emily doesn’t die! ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/107 "2003-09-05T06:05:09Z")
I’d put in a bid for Soylent Green. Soylent Green is people! I mean… hello… I don’t remember any cannibals in Make Room! Make Room! ---
**Author:** ![Sparrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/108 "2003-09-05T12:34:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eowyn the Mercotan \* > \*\*The movie version of Stephen King’s “It” was horrible, and the movie “The Langoliers” just horribley, horribley mutilated the short story. I have basically refused to watch any movie versions of Stephen Kind books ever since. \*\* I didn’ t think the film of The Langoliers was that bad … it stuck pretty close to the book. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/109 "2003-09-05T16:25:06Z")
I am astonished that anyone would defend the movie “Contact”. I admit I haven’t read the book, so possibly the book was also that bad, but that would be hard to believe. I think it was the only movie I’ve ever been to where I seriously considered demanding my money back. Painful. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/110 "2003-09-05T17:55:14Z")
The Color Purple book was better then the movie. Jaws made a better book (although the 1st movie was good) ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/111 "2003-09-05T18:04:48Z")
Although I won’t rank it as one of the great movies of our times, I kind of liked _Contact_ too. It may have been a little slow moving, but not bad. Interestingly enough, Phil Plait, host of [Bad Astronomy](http://www.badastronomy.com/) even liked it and reviewed the astronomy in his [Contact review](http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/movies/contact.html). ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/112 "2003-09-05T19:20:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Isabelle \* > \*\*The Color Purple book was better then the movie. > > Jaws made a better book (although the 1st movie was good) \*\* Gotta strongly disagree. The book Jaws was very inferior to the movie. The whole ridiculous subplot about the abortive affair between Ellen Brody and the shark expert guy killed the book. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/113 "2003-09-05T20:04:50Z")
**RogueRacer** , [here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=200625&pagenumber=1#post3765035) my summary of “Contact”. “Slow moving” was not its problem. “Main character acts like deer in headlights until audience gets cramps in throat muscles from wanting to scream at her” was its problem. -OTHER- I agree that Benchley’s book _Jaws_ suffered from plot permutations that detracted from it; and that _Langoliers_, while it had other problems (pacing, mostly), didn’t depart significantly from the original short story. They left out Albert’s violin-playing and his Walter-Mitty-esque image of himself as Ace the Arizona Jew, and the Captain’s dream about his dead ex-wife, but not much else; and they didn’t try to add in a bunch of new stuff either. Another Nomination: _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang_ was a cool kid’s book about an eccentric professor and an exotic abandoned “12-cylinder 8-litre supercharged Paragon Panther” that he rescued and rebuilt and which turned out to have a personality of its own. Dick Van Dyke was hideously miscast as Prof. Pott and they turned the sleek button-laden performance car into a candy-striped May Day parade float in the process of converting an entertaining story into a bad musical. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/114 "2003-09-05T20:40:59Z")
**RogueRacer** , did you know Phil Plait posts here as **The Bad Astronomer**? ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/115 "2003-09-05T21:04:35Z")
I did not know that. I’m pretty new to these boards, so I guess I haven’t ran across any of his posts yet. That’s pretty cool though. He seems to always try to write good information and isn’t afraid to admit when he’s wrong. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bad_Astronomer)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/116 "2003-09-06T06:45:19Z")
Hi! My ears are burning. 🙂 Yes, I liked Contact. The book is far superior to the movie, but that’s unfair: the book is extraordinary. Still, I found the movie to be very good. I don’t care if a movie is slow, if the story is well-told. In this way, Contact is the anti-Armageddon. I agree that Jaws the movie is better than the book. The movie is excellent, the book rather fetid. I found it to be sexist and dull. Colossus : the Forbin Project is a great flick, and a so-so book. Another extremely sexist book. A lot of Stephen King movies are faithful to the books, and are awful. “The Stand” is one of them. That actually boasts the worst casting call of all time: Molly Ringwald as the lead female character. She would have been dead last on my list in that role. And yet a lot of movies from King’s books are great. ---
**Author:** ![Anniee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Anniee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anniee)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/117 "2003-09-06T06:48:12Z")
I don’t quite understand; the Langoliers was one of the very few that actually DID stick to the Novella. Not 100% but closer than most. Oh well; what do I know 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anniee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Anniee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anniee)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/118 "2003-09-06T06:49:57Z")
The Stand didn’t stick all that close; and though the casting of Ringwald was a horribly sour note; Gary Sinise was brilliant and the movie wasn’t bad at all. IMO it could have been better; but it sure as heck could have been worse. It brought a lot of things to life IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/119 "2003-09-06T06:51:15Z")
{slight hijack} \*\*The Stand \*\* was filmed here in my homestate. In fact the scene where Rob Lowe’s caharacter meets Bill Foggerbakke’s is only about 5 blocks from my house! {end hijack} I hadn’t read the book before seeing The Stand, but the movie DID interest me enough to plow through the whole thing. I don’t think I quite “got” it but it was a worthwhile read anyway. And I will agree about Molly Ringwald. Who was she sleeping with to get that part?! ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386/120 "2003-09-06T23:20:59Z")
**The Bad Astronomer** : > [@](#): > > Yes, I liked Contact. Phil, I’ve never been more disappointed in you than when you posted your positive review of that awful movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-ruin-the-book/195386.md?page=7)