So, am curious, what are your WORST film/book adaptations?

[steamedtreaclesponge]

Following on from the other thread, what are the most disappointing film adaptations you've seen?

Renee Zellweger as Bridget Jones made me want to gouge my own eyes out with a fork. And it's not even one of my favourite books.

The Natalie Portman version of The Other Boleyn Girl was pitiful. The BBC version with Natasha McLellan (sp?) was brilliant.

Now I will admit to a soft spot for the Winona Ryder Little Women. Actually I will come dancing out of the closet and admit that I wept buckets.

Ooh Lil I quite liked that one! [casts self out] though at the time I hadn't read it for years so perhaps that's why.

Agree with most of these(that I've seen) - though to be fair bran, the jumper in the Shipping News was well cast.

Top of the steaming pile for me is Fever Pitch. That's a really interesting and heartfelt book, which is not a standard form. Why NH felt the need to turn it into an absolutely uninteresting romcom beats me. And the female character was just awful - fair enough, that probably is his impression of women, but couldn't someone have had a chat with him about it?

Sleeping with the Enemy is a turd of the highest order - the book is hardly a classic but it's a tight, interesting, edgy, pacy read. The film fails to notice that perving over Julia Roberts and refusing to let her be without a partner for more than, ooh, 24 hours, is highly analagous to the abuse the character suffers.

The Andrew Davies 'Sense and Sensibility' was so doughily poor that I have actually weaned myself off all subsequent Austen on telly. 'Hey, how can we fit this Austen novel into a short series? - Yeah, cut all the dialogue!' Learn to say No, Mr Davies.

I need to know what the 'alternative ending' was to Pride and Prejudice. PLEASE.

I want to know the alternative P&P ending too!
The Beach, P&P and The Golden Compass were dreadful (after loving the books), as was the other Boleyn Girl. WTF did they have Henry rape Anne? That didn't happen in the book did it? The whole point was she refused him til they got married - if he had just raped her he wouldn't have held out to marry her!

Thanks to the magic of Google I have read a description of the alternative ending. It's on Youtube but I'm not going there.

Oh sweet Jesus, I've just watched it. I am beyond words. Only the Americans could possibly believe this was a good idea.

The Name of the Rose was hugely disappointing, not least because it starred Sean Connery whom I dislike quite intensely (it's all those sshes instead of sses that really get me). Would have been much better with Peter 'Drool' O'Toole.

Also any Austen, though I grew up with the very early black & white film of P&P and whenever I see it I go back to being 8 years old.

Most of the HP films are better than the books though they'd be better still if Hermione and Harry were different actors (if Harry were an actor at all would be an improvement). LOTR are as boring as the books.

Golden Compass was better than the book simply because the book wasn't that good imo, but then I'm not 12 years old.

I'm just waiting for the Hollywood version of Gormenghast before I give up entirely.

"I'm just waiting for the Hollywood version of Gormenghast before I give up entirely."

Have you seen the BBC version of Gormenghast? I really enjoyed it.

Memoirs of a GeishA -the film was dull, the book was witty.

Fantastic Mr Fox-went to see it this weekend with ds. wasn't too bad apart from annoying sub plot of insecure fox son and jock-type fox cousin in a kind of animal american high school -complete with animal version of baseball

actually the Mr Fox was voiced by George Clooney and it disturbed me how I kept seeing George Clooney's features in his foxy face .....

Dear God that ending of P & P makes me want to tear my own eyes out. Serves KK right.

I thought the BBC version of Gormenghast was passable but far too colourful and bright. There were some good performances and some very disappointing ones, mainly due to miscasting. I admit I am going to be very hard to please when it comes to Gormenghast.

"I thought the BBC version of Gormenghast was passable but far too colourful and bright. There were some good performances and some very disappointing ones, mainly due to miscasting. I admit I am going to be very hard to please when it comes to Gormenghast."

Curious who you liked and didn't like?

Flay and Nanny Slagg were both very good.

Titus himself was completely crap; Steerpike was disappointing. In fact, the whole thing didn't hang together very well at all, and most of the performances were disappointing.

Said I'd be hard to please when it came to it

Oh yeah, didn't like Titus! I actually forget about him once I stop watching it lol. I liked Steerpike, but then I have a bit of a crush on Jonathan Rhys Meyers so am a little biased.

Also, just thought of another awful awful film A Series of Unfortunate Events, the books are so dry and funny, and Jim Carrey.. well, isn't. Either of them.

Yeah, that was a bad one too.

HARRY POTTER - all of them, good effects and costumes but the screenplays and acting is awful

Hitchhikers film - agree was a total travesty (although did love the TV series). Felt vaguely sorry for Martin Freeman for what he'd got himself involved in.

For me The French Lieutenant's Woman - the film adaptation couldn't cope with the 20th century narrative voice and so they ran this wierd parallel story of the actors filming the film. Eugh. Loved that book.

Hated what they did to American Psycho too - pretty anodyne compared to the book. Not that I'm even a fan of horror but part of the effect of reading about graphic violence was that I realised I was becoming less and less sensitive/disturbed by reading it which mirrored Patrick Bateman's descent. Not sure how you'd capture that in a film without splicing The Devil Wears Prada with Saw III.

But loved Fight Club the book and loved the film too. Maybe because I have a soft spot for Ed Norton..and yes...even Brad. Thought how the film dealt with portraying the main character(s) without revealing the twist was actually very well done.