# Worst movie based on a book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 26, 2002, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850 "2002-11-26T06:27:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/21 "2002-11-26T13:59:59Z")
Two of my favorite books—Jack Finney’s **Marion’s Wall** and Gail Parent’s **Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York** —were turned into _heinous_ movies. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/22 "2002-11-26T14:10:32Z")
**The Beach**. Alex Garland’s book was something else, a really bizarre creepy book in a genre all of its own. The movie sucked arse. ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/23 "2002-11-26T14:42:47Z")
**Captain Corelli’s Mandolin**. Funny, poignant book, if a little cheesy. It seemed to lend itself well to film adaptation but they produced an absolute piece of crap. The decision to cast Nicolas Cage in the title role was just bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/24 "2002-11-26T15:53:16Z")
In the non sci-fi/classic literature category, I’d have to go with _What’s the Worst That Could Happen?_ I’ve always wanted to see a Donald Westlake Dortmunder book get made into a movie. But they turned this into a sub-IQ Martin Lawrence vehicle. Dortmunder’s capers don’t typically involve dressing up in outrageuos costumes and getting into silly fights. I thought casting John Leguizamo in the movie was a good sign, but they have him masquerading as German auctioneer most of the time, and nothing like his counterpart in the book. Donald Westlake must have just taken his check and completely looked the other way while this film was being made and patiently waited for it to fade from theatres. I hope if there’s another Dortmunder adaptation, the filmmakers won’t think they have to star the comedian-of-the-month and make it a 90-minute long skit. ---
**Author:** ![Deptford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Deptford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deptford)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/25 "2002-11-26T16:25:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\*Given the fact that “Battlefield Earth” is an adaptation, that’s got to be the winner, doesn’t it? “Battlefield Earth” is a movie of legendary badness, one of the five or six worst theatrical release movies ever made. I can only think of a handful of worse movies, and none of them were adapted from novels. > > I mean, “the Postman” and “Starship Troopers” were friggin’ awful, but they were Citizen Kane compared to the horror, the horror, that was John Travolta’s “saga.” \*\* Ah, but “Battlefield Earth” the book is a novel of legendary badness. So you could make the case that the film is an excellent adaptation of the book ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/26 "2002-11-26T16:37:24Z")
I’ve got to say, Battlefield Earth was a _good_ adaptation of a horrible book. It was faithful and true to the source, and the actors clearly had fun making it. Utter crap, but not unfaithful at all. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/27 "2002-11-26T17:22:48Z")
**Mists of Avalon** on TNT. My SILs and I were so looking forward to it, we even had a MOA party, sitting around the coffee table munching on crackers, chocolate, fruit, caviar and wine. I even taped it, thinking I could keep the movie for posterity. At the end of Part 2, I said, “Well, shit,” got up, rewound the tape and taped over that monstrosity at the earliest opportunity. Why oh _why_ do producers attempt to squeeze a long book into basically 3 hours and 15 minutes (without commercials)? To do justice to a book, give it at least six hours. (\*\*Shogun, The Stand, Roots, \*\*etc.) If you can only give it four hours, don’t even try. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/28 "2002-11-26T17:36:44Z")
The Stand! Ugggh maybe it was a faithful adaption and I just didn’t realize that all that “Walkin’ Dude”, “Laws Yes”, “M-O-O-N Spells Dumb”, talk just doesn’t work coming out of the mouths of real people. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/29 "2002-11-26T17:48:00Z")
Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings. Sucked! Badly animated, huge gaps in the story and it ended 2/3 of the way through the books. What the hell was that about? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/30 "2002-11-26T18:00:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kingpengvin \* > \*\*“Walkin’ Dude”, “Laws Yes”, “M-O-O-N Spells Dumb”, talk just doesn’t work coming out of the mouths of real people. \*\* If it matters, Tom Cullen was mildly retarded, so that could explain his colloquialisms. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/31 "2002-11-26T18:04:29Z")
The Shining Shelley Duval, paging Shelley Duval. Will Shelley Duval please pick up the white courtesy telephone please… “Hello?” “Yes, Ms. Duval? You suck.” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/32 "2002-11-26T18:31:26Z")
**Bless the Child** is the most wretched “adaptation” of a decent book that I’ve ever had the displeasure to experience. It’s an even worse adaptation than Kubrick’s **The Shining**. If a director wants to include 75% of their own ideas, rather than the author’s, why don’t they skip everything from the novels, and write an orginal screenplay instead? ---
**Author:** ![carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrot)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/33 "2002-11-26T18:33:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by plnnr \* > \*\*The Shining > > Shelley Duval, paging Shelley Duval. Will Shelley Duval please pick up the white courtesy telephone please… > > “Hello?” > > “Yes, Ms. Duval? You suck.” \*\* Yeah, but Jack Nicholson was GOOD. But, the kid sucked too, so he was outnumbered. As for my vote, _Starship Troopers_ gets it. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/34 "2002-11-26T18:49:18Z")
Wow. **Nightfall**. I had managed to blank my mind of this disaster. Truly one of the most stupefying movies ever to waste good film stock. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/35 "2002-11-26T18:59:03Z")
I’ve never seen Nightfall. Or The Bicentennial Man. What does anybody think about that one? ---
**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:** [November 26, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/36 "2002-11-26T20:36:33Z")
I haven’t read Asimov’s story but the movie of **Bicentennial Man** was pretty good. If only all on-screen artificial life forms could be like the ones from Asimov. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/37 "2002-11-26T20:43:38Z")
I loved the short story **The Bicentennial Man** and hated, loathed, was nausiated by, and couldn’t stand the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/38 "2002-11-26T20:44:54Z")
Err…nauseated, even. ---
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/39 "2002-11-26T21:02:57Z")
**Strip Tease**. Excellent book, execrable movie. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850/40 "2002-11-26T21:05:17Z")
Great book but made into a movie that is utter crap? That’s easy… “Casino Royale”! Ugh…painfully not funny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movie-based-on-a-book/138850.md?page=3)