Unlike "The World According to Garp," which was translated to the big screen brilliantly, "The Hotel New Hampshire" (which is probably my favorite John Irving novel) is a disaster. The filmmakers are much too faithful to the novel, which causes them to rush through the story in an attempt to get everything in. Consequently, not enough time is given the parts of the story which are essential, and everything of value is lost. A number of good actors are badly served by this film, which could have been so much better than it turned out to be.
Review of The Hotel New Hampshire
The Hotel New Hampshire
(1984)
A textbook example of how not to adapt a novel for the screen
30 April 2000