MovieChat Forums > A Slipping-Down Life (1999) Discussion > Talk about completely selling out a book

Talk about completely selling out a book

posted 14 years ago by thetempletterror
4 replies | jump to latest

I just hate film-makers who seem to have such a a strong allergy to actual realism. In the book Evie is constantly described as noticeably overweight and in no way good looking and this is a significant part of the whole character - not so in the film apparently. You can have real but not too real eh? And as for Violet...in the book she is an absolute whale while in this they go and hire the very slightly chubby, cute girl who played a secretary on some rubbish tv programme the name of which I can't remember - but you get the point.

It's like that episode of the Simpsons where Moe has an audition and he gets refused for being too ugly but when the casting director says he thought they wanted ugly she replies 'TV ugly not ugly ugly.'

A great book that actually did manage to have a considerable splash of 'real' realism sold out by dishonest and cowardly morons.

[–] CoyDog 8 years ago

I agree.

[–] chrisamon 8 years ago

I haven't seen it yet (coming on in a half of an hour) so is it supposed to be a documentary?

[–] DanaShelbyChancey 8 years ago

I watched the movie probably at the very same time you did!

If it hadn't been based on a book, whatever. But Anne Tyler book fans like me, know what she writes about. Average or below average people who no one notices, but who are heroes in their own lives, if no where else.

We figure, why make a movie of an Anne Tyler book, if you aren't going to capture the very thing that makes reading her books, such an experience?

Gee Woodle, Space Kadoodle!

[–] chrisamon 8 years ago

(1) "why make a movie of an Anne Tyler book, (1a) if you aren't going to capture the very thing that makes reading her books, such an experience?"

(1) Why not?
(1a) Because they wanted to make it different.

In what stone is it cast that one has to follow a book to the letter when making a screenplay?

I understand you enjoy reading her books. Good for you; really. When you decide to make a movie based on one of her books, do it your way. Perfect. Isn't freedom great?

God bless what's left of America.

.....................Sometimes ya gotta wonder.... 