A book I loved turned into a film. And the cast is stupidly beautiful and it’s made me ragey!

[Holidaying7]

I’ve got PMS so everything is irritating me.

I discovered that a book I love has just been turned into a film and will come out soon. So I watched the trailer. The cast is absurdly beautiful and look nothing like the characters in the book.

I am so so so so sick of pretty faces on screens. As a woman, I was told my whole life that pretty matters more than anything. And then I read books where the protagonists aren’t really pretty, but movies get made out of them and model-turned-actresses get cast.

Aaah!

I am very pms’y but needed to rant. DH sick of my rant!

Which book?

Yep I totally get you! Its annoying to see a group of impossibly beautiful people on every programme or every film. If they have someone not as pretty on there it's usually a transformation story where they take off their glasses, straighten their curly hair and voila they are beautiful.

Why can you not tell us the book?

You've got to say which book?!

Sorry - I should have said the book! The Storied Life of AJ Filkry.

AJ isn’t meant to be as tall and handsome as the actor that plays him is - but, more annoying to my PMS head, Amelia isn’t meant to be a young, dark haired, petite pretty thing! I read her as quirky looking. Her nickname at school was Big Bird!

Is it the Crawdad’s book? If so I totally agree with you. Also, this is a film about a young woman living alone in a very isolated swamp many years ago before eg. chain stores and online shopping. And yet:

1. She wears a freshly ironed new outfit in every scene (I kid you not)
2. Most of her outfits are like something out of a catalogue ie.Totally unsuitable for swamp living. Eg. Brilliant white lace nightdress. How? Why?
3. Where on earth would she have bought such clothes and with what money?
4. She has a lovely hair cut and make up in all the time. How? Why?

Why on earth can’t the character look like an ordinary human woman?

Oh sorry. Crossed posts

I decided not to watch the film as I found that so annoying about the Crawdads film’s trailer! (Although I wasn’t as in love with the book as others!)

Unpopular opinion, but I don't want to see "realistic" people in films.
What would them being ugly actually add to this film? It doesn't seem to be an important plot point.

I didn't like Crawdads much, so didn't see the film

I thought you might be talking about My Policeman with Harry Styles and Emma Corrin

@NC12345665 Well, it is important. How you look does determine some aspects of your life and personality.
Of course, I think most of us have accepted that there's "Hollywood ugly" - where we are just supposed to believe that a character is ugly because she's not 5' 7",or has brown hair, not blonde...

Well, it is important. How you look does determine some aspects of your life and personality

It's Hollywood fluff. It's not that deep.

@NC12345665 I don’t particularly want to see ‘ugly’ people either, I don’t go to the cinema often and it’s expensive so I am looking for a visual treat. I appreciate, for example, beautiful scenery and great cinematography. But why change the way the characters are portrayed in the original book?

to be honest i didn't like the book partially because the author couldn't go a sentence without mentioning how beautiful kya was!! waspish waist this, perfect face that, there was definitely some projection going on in the author's head so i can see why they'd make the actress look ultra clean and done up too

I watched The Sting with DH last night. Great movie , but with the exception of Newman and Redford, everyone in it looked like real people from 1930’s Chicago, a bit dented by life, not a perfect shape, fatish; it was totally believable. We commented that you couldn’t make that movie now, everyone would have to be picture perfect and glamourous. It’s the same with a lot of Tv series: good actors but oh so beautiful.