It’s the age old question asked by any film or print fan around the planet. I know how many times I’ve been asked, ‘why would you read that, they made a movie?’ Obviously it’s because the book is always better.
But is it really?
Goodreads Synopsis:
For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—”Cupid Day”—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.
However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.
Named to numerous state reading lists, this novel was also recognized as a Best Book of the Year by Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, The Daily Beast, NPR, and Publishers Weekly. It has been optioned for film by Fox 2000 Pictures.
My Thoughts
I read Before I Fall in 2012, so frankly my memory of every detail was limited. I remember the basic plot and major moments, and I remember that I wasn’t really impressed. The whole book was underwhelming and I had a really hard time with the ending. Since my memories are 5 years old and not trustworthy enough, I won’t do an in depth comparison. Instead I’ll have to mostly talk about how my overall opinion of Before I Fall the movie differed from the read.
What I can tell you is that when I walked away from watching the movie I felt better about the story. The ending that I hated in the book, I appreciated in the movie. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m 5 years older than I was, or if the movie just made the ending more profound. Possibly, it’s both. I also think that Zoey Deutch did a great job playing Sam. I feel like they hit on all the most important scenes, and that’s was imperative, because you have see how awful they were but also why Sam still loves them in the end. That’s a hard line to follow, and the cast and script did a great job.
To be fair, it is possible I’m not remembering everything, like I said above, but sometimes I think putting some time between the read and the watch is the best thing to do. Movies are bound to be different from the book, and anything that makes those differences not so glaring is a good thing. For the sake of perspective.
Winner
I think it’s pretty obvious that I have to give the award to Before I Fall, the movie. When I put the book down, I was disappointed. When I finished the movie I wasn’t. It really is that simple.
I doubt I’ll watch it again, but I enjoyed it while it was on. I do know I won’t read it again.
Have any of you watched the movie or read the book? What did you think?
Birdie Bookworm 
I loved both the book and movie. The movie surprised me though, I really enjoyed it.
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I think with the book it was a matter of being unhappy about the ending. It just hurt to think of all the loss from those who loved her.
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I was not a huge fan of the book so I wasn’t planning on watching the movie but maybe I’ll give it a shot!
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I mean, I don’t think it would win awards, but I definitely thought it was enjoyable. For a movie to watch at home. 🙂
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I actually loved the book, which I read at the beginning of the year. I thought it had good character development. We just watched the movie last week, and I was impressed by that, too. I thought they did a great job staying true to the book.
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From what I could remember, I thought so too! It had all the major scenes, and I thought the actors did a really great job.
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I read the book and saw the movie.
Now, usually i prefer the book version, but this time i’ll side with the movie i did enjoy it more
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Yay! I normally always prefer the book too, but there are those occasional surprises.
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true! and this was one of those occasional surprises
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That’s a negative on both. The book synopsis didn’t grab my attention, and I rarely watch television or movies, so I like to spend it watching things I know I’ll love – which is mostly reruns of my faves. There’s nothing on television for current sitcoms or dramas that I feel like I want to watch.
I’m in a tailspin right now because Big Brother is back on, and it’s stealing three whole hours from my week! LOL
Great post.
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Thanks! LOL, well I’ll be honest and say the only reason I chose this one was because I wanted to do a Book vs Movie post and Everything Everything isn’t out to rent yet. This was my second choice. I was just surprised that I liked it more than the book, which I shouldn’t have been since I didn’t much like the book.
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I read the book a long time ago too and remember liking it but being disappointed by the ending as well. I hadn’t thought about watching the movie, but maybe I’ll give it a try next time I’m looking for something to watch.
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You’ll have to pop in and tell me what you thought.
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I haven’t read the book or seen the movie but I know it’s very popular and I am a Lauren Oliver fan so I want to give this a go. For the most part, I prefer the book to the movie but on the rare occasion I do prefer the movie, for example I wasn’t a fan of The Perks Of Being A Wallflower book but the movie is my all time favourite. Great post😊
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I haven’t read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, or seen the movie. That may be a good choice for a future Book vs Movie! 🙂
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I’ve seen the movie so many times, I love it haha! Although I know many people prefer the book
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It’s my sister’s favorite book, and she refuses to see the movie, lol.
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I’ve read the book many years ago but did not watch the movie yet. Usually I do prefer books to their movies with a few exceptions like Harry Potter that I found true to the books.
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Yeah, I think it’s more common to find books that are equal to the movie.
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This is a cool idea for a post series! I’d totally steal it, but I don’t watch movies particularly often. 😉 I also appreciate how you clearly outline specific reasons why you appreciate the movie so much. Sometimes, I find that reading the book and then watching the movie many years later, I might like the movie better. Why? It’s a more concise story. There are fewer things to mess up in the movie, and I just can’t recall everything they’ve cut from the book.
That said, I have a feeling I’ll still like the book for A Wrinkle in Time better than the movie. 😉
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I think the not being able to recall is the most important aspect of watching the movie. You just accept the movie for what it is, instead of comparing it the whole time. Most of the time I like the book better, but there are the occasional surprises. 🙂
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I’m not saying that I like any of the Harry Potter movies better than the books, but I find they are fuller more cohesive stories when I can’t recall all the details which are missing. My friends and I watch all 8 films over the course of a single weekend each year and I try to avoid reading any HP for a few months before hand. It improves my overall experiences, for sure.
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I agree with that, and actually even comparing the books, that’s just a stellar adaptation overall.
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