Better Than the Book?

I watch a lot of movies. I also read a lot of books. Lucky for me, Hollywood makes a lot of movies based on books that I like to read. But usually, the book is better. Let's face it, there's only so much literary thought that can be translated to screen, and some books just have way too much side story to incorporate into a movie without making it six hours long. So we get cut up versions of our stories, or some new version that we haven't heard yet.Most often, I'm not disappointed in the movie adaptation of my favorite books, they're just a different telling of the story that I know so well but sometimes I don't totally enjoy the movie because of the missing bits or the little additions. (Stardust, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and The Harry Potter Series come to mind. And don't even get me started on The Count of Monte Cristo.) Tonight, I found the exception to this rule. I watched Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones and it was the first time that I can think of where I liked the movie better than the book.

Perhaps it was Peter Jackson's images of purgatory and heaven. Maybe it was Stanley Tucci's ability to make me hate his character, even though I've loved his character in every other movie for all of time. (I still can't believe how loathsome he was in this movie.) It might even be because I don't remember the book that well. I do remember starting the read, putting it down to read The Count of Monte Cristo again, and then trying to finish reading the rest of The Lovely Bones. I have a hard time sticking with a book that doesn't keep me attached to the characters and maybe there was some other distraction that kept me from really enjoying this book, but I was enthralled with this movie. I even ignored my bladder, which for me is quite a feat. (Anyone that knows me will vouch for the fact that I have the world's smallest and most impatient bladder.) It was wonderful, sad and stunning.


 
The story takes place in the early seventies. Suzie Salmon is 14 years old. She is a normal 14 year old, she seems to be popular. She is the oldest of three children; she has a sister who is only a couple years younger and a brother who is much younger. Her father adores her, they have a special connection.

Suzie narrates the story and introduces the viewer to her killer early on. This is Stanley Tucci. I had to check IMDB to make sure because he was so absolutely deplorable. You hate him. He makes your toes curl and your teeth grind. George Harvey (Tucci) lives in the same neighborhood as Suzie and he starts to watch her. Then, we see him making a plan. One night after school, Suzie is running late. She travels through a corn field behind her house where the neighbor is waiting, like a creepy bastard, and she knows that something's not right. But he's also smart, and he lures her into this underground "clubhouse" that he built. It's full of fun stuff that kids like; he says that Suzie can be the first kid inside. She can't deny this privilege because she's a typical 14 year old in the seventies. People weren't as bad as they are now. They could be trusted and she was going to be the first to see this special place. So she goes into this hole in the ground and has a coke with him. When she tries to leave, he stops her and then we see her running across the field at a girl from school and then she disappears. Yep, the creepy neighbor bastard killed her.

She doesn't know she's dead until a young lady comes to her in the purgatory that she's trapped in and tells. The young lady calls herself Holly Go Lightly, because her name can be whatever she wants. She tells Suzie that she's dead and that she must go forward to heaven and not look back. But Suzie can't go forward. She has too much left on Earth. And this is what the movie involves. I won't say more because it would spoil it and I think this is a good movie to watch without knowing what happens. Its heart wrenching but I didn't cry. It has intensity that's driven by the plot. The score tries to add to the intensity at times, but I think it was a little grating. Susan Sarandon is wonderful as the grandma. Rachel Weisz is stunning, as always. And this was the first movie with Mark Wahlberg that I didn't have to imagine him in his underwear to enjoy it. (Just kidding, the football one was good too.)

The Lovely Bones was an okay book. I finished it, so it can't have been too terrible. And after watching the movie, I may end up reading the book again. I have to know if this is really the first time that I've liked the movie better. I'm sure I'll keep you posted.