5 Movies Better Than The Book

Books are great. Most of us can agree on that. Sometimes, a movie adaptation is so fun or engaging that we are inspired to read the original work. Most of the time, the source material is undeniably better than the adaptation. However, on some rare occasions, we are utterly disappointed by the book. This list is dedicated to five movies I think surpass their bound counterparts, even if only by a little.

Spoilers!!!

If you haven’t read or seen a particular book or movie on this list, you may want to skip that section. There might be spoilers.

The Witches of Eastwick

Wallis Nictia hit the jackpot when she cast Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon, Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Veronica Cartwright in this adaptation of John Updike’s 1980 novel. The on-screen chemistry of this group is electric, the female characters are independent and sexually empowered, and the revenge scene at the end is hilarious (you’ll never look at cherry pits in the same light).  I loved the movie so much as a kid that when I finally stumbled upon the book in my early 20s, I was jazzed, to say the least. What I read left me wanting.

I found the strong female characters I loved from the movie were mentally castrated and needed men in the end and gave up practicing magic for safe suburban lives. I was so disappointed I kept reading out of sheer hope the book would redeem itself. Sadly, I didn’t find a measly nickel at the end of that pale rainbow.

The Bourne Identity

I found the whole of the Bourne trilogy to employ the three aspects I look for in a good action film: intense high-speed car chases, well-choreographed hand-to-hand combat, and a romance that takes a backseat to the story. Overall, I am a huge fan of the flicks. So naturally, when I saw Robert Ludlum’s famous novel sitting on a friend’s bookcase, I asked to borrow it.

I was diggin’ the story until Bourne meets Marie, and then the whole thing started to sour. One of the main reason’s I like the Bourne Identity movie is Marie. Her character is an average person, and, as a result, she’s very relatable. Bourne runs into her at a consulate as she’s having an argument with a government employee about renewing her visa (if you’ve ever lived abroad, you’ve probably had a very similar experience). So when Bourne offers her $20 grand to drive him to Paris, ten now, ten on arrival, she begrudgingly takes the chauffeur job. From there, they form of bond that blooms into something more over the course of the movie.

Marie, from the book, is a genius economist working for the Canadian government. She’s highly intelligent and rational. Initially, she reacts just like any sane person would when thrust into a situation like the one surrounding Bourne (she completely loses her shit). And then suddenly, she does a 180 and teams up with him. This was unbelievable and took me right out of the narrative. Marie from the movie sold the story for me. She added the missing human element Jason Bourne lacked, reacting with shock when it was needed and kept things simple when Bourne overthought them. Marie gave the average viewer someone relatable to ride the Bourne roller coaster with. It also didn’t hurt that she was played by Franka Potente, who is amazing.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Audrey Wells transforms Frances Mayes’s book about buying a fixer-upper in Tuscany into a fabulous story about self-discovery and perseverance. 

The movie follows newly divorced Frances, played by Diane Lane (another amazing actor), as she tries to find footing after her husband leaves her for a younger woman. On a whim, she decides to take a tour of Tuscany when she sees her dream house for sale. On another whim, she buys the dilapidated villa and embarks on restoring it. Through this journey, Frances ultimately rediscovers who she is. The book, on the other hand, is much, much different.

The only things the movie and book have in common are the main characters of the same first name, their occupations (college professors), and restoring a Tuscan villa. Other than that, they are completely different. Mayes restores her villa with her longtime partner during summer vacations over several years. While much of the passages dealing with the restoration are pure entertainment, the rest of the novel is pretty boring. In addition, Mayes smatters her biography with recipes. I hate when people do this. Put them at the end if you need to share them, but don’t break up the story with your favorite recipe for Chicory Coffee. Bleck.

The Lovely Bones

While I really enjoyed Alice Seabold’s novel, the movie nailed it for me. Stanley Tucci as Gregory Harvey, the serial pedophile, was an amazing casting decision. I didn’t know how I was going to feel about Mark Wahlberg as the dad, but he didn’t bother me. As for the novel, I really liked how Seabold handled the passage of time, but I was thrown by the strange sex scene at the end. I’m pretty open-minded, but ghost possession-surrogate sex is just plain weird. Thankfully the movie didn’t go there.

Naked Lunch

This one will probably be controversial, but I can’t help it. Naked Lunch is a fantastic movie. It’s crude, rude, funny, and gritty. It’s a cult classic, for sure. The book is all of this too, but it also contains violent scenes of rape and decapitations that I had an almost impossible time making it through. I was surprised by how different the tone was from Junkie, another classic from the drug-addled mind of William S. Burroughs, which I loved. Both are dark, as one can expect, but Naked Lunch, the novel, didn’t live up to my expectations of the movie.

There you go. Five movies I thought were better than the books. If you have a movie you felt was better than the book, leave a comment below.