MovieChat Forums > Goodnight, Mister Tom (1999) Discussion > HORRIBLE!

HORRIBLE!

posted 20 years ago by johnny_crazy88
43 replies | jump to latest

Yuck- i really love the book, so i thought id watch this film- but i wish i hadnt. yes john Thaw was good, but they missed out so many important things in the book, totally ignored half the characters, and oh my word-is that how people perceived Mrs Hartridge??? i didnt really think she was very likable!!!! they did well with what they attempted but i would have preffered a more indepth look at the book. thie film did not do it justice.

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things- and no good thing ever dies.

[–] UnsaidThings 19 years ago

Your right. The book didn't do the movie much justice at all. The book is utter drabble compared to the movie.

... Workshopping - A New Word For It ...

[–] johnny_crazy88 19 years ago

Oh you are so funny!

We don't have a permit...RUN!!!

[–] amy_clarke999 19 years ago

i aint read the book well i hav but only the begginin im sure the film isnt as gd as the book but hey its a gr8 film!!!!

[–] ame88 19 years ago

I havnt read the book, but i am sure it is better than the film. they always are though arent they (Flowers in the attic)...

Just remember when coming out of the cinema, to say:
"it wasnt nearly as good as the book!"

just to get people wondering........

(c05)

[–] drgordon-caldwell 19 years ago

Yes - a story which existed first as a book is seldom better in a film - it takes hours to read a book and minutes to watch a film, and there are so many more words in a book and so much more imagination! My 11 year old is reading the book at school and is absorbed by the book and was right into the film! Both are wonderful examples of their type - books and films. Acting superb by Tom and William (and the dog!)

[–] twinktoes910 19 years ago

The book is much better and the movie confuses me.

[–] fionak 18 years ago

I agree. the book was awesome and luckily i read it b4 i watched the movie. it was crap. The book is 1 of the best books i've ever read, but the movie is really really bad.

[–] JulietMorris 18 years ago

John Thaw made a good Tom but he was a little too cruel.
Nick Robinson = totally wooden, and looks nothing like the description of Will.
Thomas Orange did not do Zach justice at all. And the character of Zach wasn't in it enough. They didn't portray the closeness of the friendship at all.
Will's Mum was NOWHERE NEAR evil and screwed-up enough.
Where was the part where they go to Salmouth??
WHERE WAS GEOFFREY ARCHER????

It was boring and nothing like the book and I am very angry.
On the other hand, the settings were very good.

[–] black_serenade 18 years ago

they totally ruined the book with this movie, i really wished i'd never seen it.

Vic: AMC has a Joan Crawford festival all week.
Debbie: Nobody's that gay

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] kelly_wolves 18 years ago

I love the film and the book - both moved me and made me cry. I think it is important to understand that they are both different forms of art/entertainment so to keep judging them against eachother may not be just.

[–] earbyc 15 years ago

I have not read the book so can't comment on it, however I watched the film last Saturday and again on Sunday last because it was so good, in fact incredible.
It has been a very long time since I was moved by a film as much as this one.
I will not buy the book the movioe was enough.

[–] One-Wish 18 years ago

It's a really sad heartwarming film!!

[–] potless 18 years ago

I have to concur the film was an admirable effort but the book was much better. This film focused on the two main characters whereas the children of the village and the other evacuees played a much bigger part in the book. So much is left out I hope that they remake this properly one day

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] potless 18 years ago

The book was far superior to the film in my opinion, so much of the original book was cut out which gave the story a two dimensional feel in the film which was a TV film and you couldn't recognise it as anything else. I would take onboard comments about errors in the original book if the writer of an earlier message gave examples of what he was referring to.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] potless 18 years ago

John Thaw certainly made the part his own. I didn't think much about discrepancies but then I am not from that time period : ) I enjoyed the book first the film was part of the book which was a shame.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Mr-Brian-Sheridan 18 years ago

I don't even think the book did justice to the paper it was written on.

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.

[–] aminachafai-1 18 years ago

i loved it . ithought the book dragged on abit with all the different characters i got confused. I thought the programme was brillant. john thaw was amazing. they kept most of the main bits in so that you understood the story and it kept it moving, it was only for a tv programme, if it was for a proper movie i would have said different that it should stay right with the book the whole time.

[–] pink_fairy_poo 18 years ago

I liked both in their own right. I think the film would've dragged with the whole story, and the book too short if the same as the film.

[–] freefall79 18 years ago

this production was a one off, if they had made it into say a four hour show then they would have been able to do it justice...as it was it was way too short

Thunderbirds Aren't Slow

[–] starrypawz 18 years ago

The thing that annoyed me the most was that they screwed up the ending. In the book it doesn't have the 'I can ride' bit its 'Dad, I'm growing.' they used completley the wrong ending.

[–] peterbod74 17 years ago

the book bored me
]the movie was excellent

[–] jimcat 17 years ago

The Movie was absolute rubbish possibly one of the worst book adaptations i have ever seen Nick Robinson is possibly the worst child actor i have ever seen, if you truly appreciate proper, well acted, well made film, then you will hate and i mean HATE this film, it is a wortgless exercise in mediocrity, the production is extremely outdated (I was shocked to learn it was created in 1999) and John Thaws performance is overrated by a large measure. Plus a multitude of strange, confusing and meaningless events, E.g. Will daringly plodding around on the organ, while still apparently a mentally scarred, discipline fearing, timid, little boy. Or Wills mother recalling his time as a baby and making him his "favourite" (meal)

Overall i sincerely reccomend you do not watch it

Rating 2.4/10

[–] somebodyls 17 years ago

Jimcat, let me explain, :)

The organ was his wife's or at least he used to play it for his wife. After she died he never played it again. It was showing how much he was still upset by the past and unwilling to let it go. I assume he thought he wouldn't be heard. William slowly makes him open up if you like and vice versa.

The breakfast bit was basically showing how unbalanced his mum was, one minute she was nice making him his favourite meal (which shows she did love him in a strange way) then the next losing it over nothing and beating him up.

It's a lovely programme and I reccomend you do watch it.

[–] darth-necro 17 years ago

the worst scene Is the one where willie wakes up and his mam makes him breakfast she seems too nice his mam is supposed to be an evil bitch.

With great power comes GREAT power.

[–] somebodyls 17 years ago

It's to show how mentally unblanaced she is, one minute nice the next nasty.

[–] nomirbarnett 16 years ago

The mum is supposed to be mental, so she kept changing.
I agree with the people who say the film did not do the book justice.
The book was so detailed, with a lot more characters. The acting in the film was not that good, Zach was not in it enough, and Mrs Fletcher was FAR too smug.
Just my opinion.

[–] ikinmoore 16 years ago

I have never read the book I can only judge this TV film by what I saw. The acting was first class. Many say that the film did not do the book justice, I am of the opinion you can only pack in so much in a two hour film. John Thaw was brilliant. I only wish he was still around !

The best films are made in an intelligent format.

[–] herbertanchovy 16 years ago

I thought it was a great film. very touching, from what people have said I just won't read the book.

[–] xXxSophiexXx 16 years ago

I have to say I prefer the book, but considering that the film got me interested in the book then I can't really pick a favourite. I really wish they'd gotten the holiday with Tom, Willie and Zach in the film though :(