This movie is entirely different from the book. What was the point of basing it on Elinor Lippman's wonderful novel and then changing almost every aspect of the story.
Why not simply write your own screenplay about a mother and daughter reconnecting after adoption and call it something else? Since it bares no resemblance to the book there was no chance they could have been sued.
I don't know why other than the common Hollywood practice of having to get "creative" with a book and put their own stamp on it.
The opening scenes of the film "The Majestic" show a really good example of this sort of nonsense.
Why buy the darn thing (and use the title). Why not just have a writer create what you want and change just enough to avoid a lawsuit? Too logical for Hollywood.
Anyway, I hope the book's characters were more sympathetic. I stopped caring about any of them except Frank (Colin Firth)about 2/3 through the film. Hunt and Midler came across as morally fractured or not in decent control of themselves as far living up to promises to so-called "loved ones".
Creepy selfishness from these charaters....I doubt if Hunt (director) intended this but, it is how I percieved them.
Given that Ms. Hunt had to fight very significantly over a ten year period to get this movie made at all, and that in the end it was made more "outside" the Hollywood system than "inside", I don't think references to "common Hollywood practice" are relevant here.
shareQ: Why?
A: Why not?
The book originally inspired Ms. Hunt a long time ago. But through many twists and turns and many many rewrites over ten years, the plot morphed so much the similarity between the book and the final movie became notably tenuous. Even so. the book remains fully credited.
But why is this a "bad thing"? How does it reduce the movie? And who is being harmed?
What was the point of basing it on Elinor Lippman's wonderful novel and then changing almost every aspect of the story.It's called adapting a story to the screen and it's been done since time immemorial to both greater and lesser degrees, as well as both critical acclaim and derision.