We've all seen it. Amazing books that we love to read, and force our friends to love as well.
We invent book clubs for it and devote Facebook pages to it.
We have mental images of EXACTLY what every character looks like; what their personalities and lives are like beyond the books.
In short, we create an alternate world for them that we, by extension are a part of.
As a result of our goodwill and free PR, millions of these books get sold.
Why not make said amazing novel into a movie right? RIGHT?
Here's why NOT.
In the case of Something Borrowed, by Emily Giffin, Rachel is an average looking, average weight blonde who sleeps with, and eventually falls for her best friends fiance. Her BFFA, self-centered yet drop dead gorgeous brunette Darcy, is no angel herself. It's easy to see how a book character can go from being multi-layered and well-blended, to one-note and overdone in a movie. Especially when casting Kate Hudson (blond hair, certainly pretty but in no way drop dead gorgeous or unique looking) as Darcy. Ginnifer Goodwin as Rachel is a step up, but still...it leads to some questions...
A) Does Hollywood only associate beauty with blonds?
B) Is the only way to sell an already successful book to movie audiences to cast someone extremely famous, yet not right for the part?
C) How likely is it this amazing book, in movie form, has any chance to be anything other than a rom-com box office disappointment, where tender romantic moments are replaced with forced chemistry, and insincere friends become nominees for Razzies with choppy over the top acting?
(all of these have only one answer, or are otherwise rhetorical).
In authoress Emily Giffin's own Facebook words, "It's official!!!! Kate Hudson will be playing Darcy! ... I know she doesn't physically resemble Darcy, but I think she is PERFECT for this role and will knock this out of the park. She is gorgeous and can play manipulative and self-absorbed, yet charming and vulnerable.... I am thrilled and hope you are too!!"
Well, Em, sorry to burst your bubble...but I think you jumped the shark, or in this case, the pile of money. As for Kate, I guarantee she took the slightly smaller part with the promise her own part would not only be beefed up for the first movie, but in the event the follow up book Something Blue gets made for the big screen, she's instantly the star....while poor Ginnifer Goodwin maybe shows up for five minutes...if they can even get her back for it at all.
Anyone else NOT interested in seeing Kate Hudson carry a movie all by herself, especially one where she's supposed to obsess over her personal beauty and then eventually peel back the layers toward self-discovery? What's that...you tuned out of that sentence half way through reading it? Me too.
On the bright side? The boys. Hot, but vanilla Dex will be played by Colin Egglesfield, and John Krasinski will be Ethan, a trusted friend and confidante. They at the very least look the parts I had made up for them in my mind.
And, btw, don't even get me started on the transition (butchering) of a book to a movie, or the lack of creative juices out there in screenwriters, resulting in said butchering of classic books, lame movie remakes, and so on...we'll save that for next time;)
