I was quite eager to watch this movie first of all because I'm a great fan of Mrs Picoult and her novels. I hoped to see a very refined story of happiness diluted in tragedy and family bond that overcomes everything.
Unfortunately, the movie doesn't quite meet the expectations of a book- reader.
I don't even pay attention at the fact that not all the key plot lines were shown - that's understandable, not all movies can last 3 hrs like my beloved "Titanic". But the ones that remain are mostly rudely messed up with.
Let's start with the age of the main character. In the book she's 13, in the movie - 11. Not that much of a difference, it might seem. No, there is. The girl is trying to demonstrate and prove that she can make her own decisions about her body and health. With a 13 y.o. girl that looks quite credible. With an 11 y.o. kid that looks quite ridiculous, and sometimes her actions looked stupid, especially since the girl starring in the movie looks very childish. Not to offend the very girl, of course.
Secondly, the character of Jesse. Perhaps, they chose an actor who's too young again. Perhaps, something was wrong with directing. But a young guy with serious psychological problems and yet some life philosophy portrayed in the book turned into a capricious kid. Still, to director's credit, the importance of this character for the plot was underlined in a proper way.
Lastly, the ending. Without the author's agreement, the creators of the movie changed it completely. In the movie Kate dies and Anna thinks of her often after that. In the book, however, Anna and her solicitor Alexander get in a car crash and Anna dies. Her kidney is given to Kate and the latter suddenly recovers completely from her disease. Kate's death also has a point, I mean, the movie does have an idea, and something to think over, but that's something totally different from what the writer was trying to tell, which I consider not really appropriate.
My rating is not higher because I had read the book before watching, but not lower since, if you haven't read the book, you'll most probably love the movie a lot.
Unfortunately, the movie doesn't quite meet the expectations of a book- reader.
I don't even pay attention at the fact that not all the key plot lines were shown - that's understandable, not all movies can last 3 hrs like my beloved "Titanic". But the ones that remain are mostly rudely messed up with.
Let's start with the age of the main character. In the book she's 13, in the movie - 11. Not that much of a difference, it might seem. No, there is. The girl is trying to demonstrate and prove that she can make her own decisions about her body and health. With a 13 y.o. girl that looks quite credible. With an 11 y.o. kid that looks quite ridiculous, and sometimes her actions looked stupid, especially since the girl starring in the movie looks very childish. Not to offend the very girl, of course.
Secondly, the character of Jesse. Perhaps, they chose an actor who's too young again. Perhaps, something was wrong with directing. But a young guy with serious psychological problems and yet some life philosophy portrayed in the book turned into a capricious kid. Still, to director's credit, the importance of this character for the plot was underlined in a proper way.
Lastly, the ending. Without the author's agreement, the creators of the movie changed it completely. In the movie Kate dies and Anna thinks of her often after that. In the book, however, Anna and her solicitor Alexander get in a car crash and Anna dies. Her kidney is given to Kate and the latter suddenly recovers completely from her disease. Kate's death also has a point, I mean, the movie does have an idea, and something to think over, but that's something totally different from what the writer was trying to tell, which I consider not really appropriate.
My rating is not higher because I had read the book before watching, but not lower since, if you haven't read the book, you'll most probably love the movie a lot.