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FeedBooks, Etc. with Lynn Carey: Lovely Bones Review
Lynn gives her take on the new movie based on the Alice Sebold novel.
As long as there have been motion pictures, we love to debate the “which was better, the book or the movie?” question. Well, I saw The Lovely Bones movie preview last night and am still shaken by it. I’m not a movie critic, but here’s my take:
It was pretty darn faithful to the book. There was a bit near the end that was different, but in a good way, I thought. Also, the sex scene, which bothered me in the book, was better (practically nonexistent, really) and actually made me feel better about it all.
I realized I was worried the whole movie about what I might see. And while there were no actual scenes of the rape and murder, the suspense around the killing was almost unbearable.
I’ve never seen Stanley Tucci like this. For me, he’s most memorable in The Big Night, The Devil Wears Prada and Julie and Julia. In this, he is hardly recognizable, with thinning sandy hair and a ‘70s mustache. He exudes creepiness. He should definitely be nominated for an award.
I would have liked a little more of a back-story for Susie’s relationship with Ray. It seemed abrupt. But I liked the family life pictured, and what her death meant to all of them.
The sets and costumes also made me uncomfortable, but only because I was actually wearing the same stuff in 1973, and was about the same age as Susie was then. It’s hard to face the fact that really, we had no taste at all back then.
On the other hand, director Peter Jackson’s portrait of Susie’s heaven was fanciful and fun, as it should be.
The acting was amazing by everyone. That might have added to my anguish; it just seemed like it was too real.
And yes, I know this story does happen in real life. And that, most of all, is probably what upset me the most.
Would I recommend this movie? Almost everyone I spoke to after the screening liked it a lot. But if you are one of those people who didn’t want to read the book because the subject matter would distress you—no. Better give this one a pass when it opens on Friday (Jan. 15).
For 12 years, Lynn Carey has run the Times Book Club, which now appears in the Contra Costa Times and Oakland Tribune newspapers. For the past 17 years, she's lived in Lafayette with her husband, Lamorinda Sun columnist Mike Zampa, and their two teenagers.
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Posted at 12:30 PM in News and Community | Permalink
Reader Comments:
You should be a movie critic!
Interesting take, Lynn, and thanks for setting up the screening. Seeing the film for free, right after worked, made for an ideal experience. T
here was a lot about the Lovely Bones that I liked more than I thought I would: aesthetic details like the 1970s art direction, set and costume design, and Brian Eno's bizarre score added to the surrealism of the otherworldly sequences.
Look fast for director Peter Jackson's cameo in the photo store, as well as a little nod to the Lord of the Rings in the book store.
Performances were mostly very good, although Susan Sarandon's scenery chewing could have been left out of the picture entirely, for the better. Stanley Tucci and the lead actress were very good.
I did not read the book, and I think that helped me appreciate the film a bit more than someone who loved the book and had a very intimate experience with it. Director Jackson's interpretation is likely to be somewhat jarring for those who imagined their own unique version of Susie Salmon's afterlife...
Sorry, but this, like some of Carey's other writings about books and movies, is a pretty superficial.