I like books. I like movies. I like movies based on books. Surprising, no? This is a topic I’ve discussed quite a bit, but it’s always been in the context of best or worst adaptations. What about favorites? Looking back, I’ve never discussed which ones I love, whether they are high quality adaptations of not.
Admittedly when trying to come up with a list this week I was totally stumped. Even though she doesn’t know it, Shannon at River City Reading came to the rescue – thanks for the idea Shannon. You know who else’s list I love? Katie at Words for Worms (hint: she mentions me, because she is the sweetest).
So, which movies are among my favorites? In no particular order…
(Please know that this list is meant in good fun, I am in no way trying to critically evaluate these book to film adaptations.)
10. Much Ado About Nothing. If I was a fictional character, I’d want to be Beatrice.
09. Stand by Me. Honestly, what’s not to love? ’80s perfection and Stephen King.
08. 10 Things I Hate About You. I love this movie. Still. Teenage nostalgia? Possibly. But I’d like to think it’s just really good.
07. Clueless. Emma is annoying, spoiled, frivolous, nosy, gossiping, inconsiderate, manipulative, and self-centered. However, Cher is adorably clueless.
06. Jaws. The movie thankfully distills the novel in the best possible way – no mafia, no infidelity, more shark.
05. Easy A. What’s not to love about Emma Stone? And while this one was only partially inspired by a book, I am going with it. What really sold me on the movie is when Olive says ” “Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80’s movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80’s movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life.”
Yes.
04. Jurassic Park. Dinosaurs. Have I told you how badly I want to do this project?
03. Gone Girl. I didn’t care for the book, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
02. The Princess Bride. As you wish.
01. High Fidelity. John Cusack and top fives. I think in top fives.
What are some of your favorite movies based on books? For more random lists, visit The Broke and The Bookish.
flannel and folklore 
10 Things! Clueless! Easy A! ALL THE YES!
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10 Things and Clueless really make Shakespeare and the worst Austen more bearable.
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Easy A! That quote was what sold me on that movie too.
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My life could’ve been improved under John Hughes direction. I really would’ve like a Bender at some point.
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Mine too!
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You have NO IDEA how angry I am at myself for not thinking of High Fidelity. I think I forgot that it was a book? Far, far superior movie.
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It really is. I love that they moved the movie to Chicago.
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Great topic! I have never seen Easy A, but will look for it now. Do you think it is appropriate for a 15 yr old girl? She loves Emma Stone too.
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Absolutely! I think it would be great for a 15 year old girl.
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Stand By Me is perfect, the movie adaptation is even better than the book in my opinion! I’m a big fan of The Commitments and Trainspotting for this category.
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I love Trainspotting and prefer it to the book, although the baby scene haunts me.
I haven’t seen The Commitments!
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I’ve only not seen 3 of these movies, and all the ones I have seen are great. (If there’s one I’m less than enthusiastic about, it’s Stand by Me. I think it’s just been too long since I’ve seen it though.)
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For me it’s just very ’80s and very Stephen King, which is the perfect combination. The movie could be awful and I would still love it for those two things.
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10 Things I Hate About You is Shakespeare! It’s timeless.
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It is! And I don’t know what exactly it is, but I find that movie hilarious. Plus that’s an amazing cast. Baby Joseph Gordon-Leavitt!
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Taming of the Shrew!
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This may be one of the most perfect book-to-film lists I’ve seen! 10 Things takes me back….I miss Heath Ledger 😦
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Thank you! And I do too! I’m pretty sure Julia Stiles had the best hair ever in that movie. It was amazing. That movie actually ages well, I was it more often than I’d care to admit. 🙂
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I just watched The Princess Bride with the kids. That’s one good reason to have kids- you get to re-visit your favourite movies. 🙂
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Haha, that is one of the BEST reasons. I watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with my son the other day. It was terrible, but it felt like a rite of passage.
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I just watched Clueless the other day and it still makes me laugh! I also think Easy A was so sharp and intelligent! I also loved Sense and Sensibility w Emma Thompson and Pride and Prejudice. Guess I’m a bit of an Austen movie lover. Oh, and Room with a View- gorgeous!
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Room with a View – I loved that one. It’s one of my favorite books as well. And Clueless is aging quite well.
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I haven’t seen Easy A but it came out before my mad crush on Emma Stone begun so I need to remedy that. I love The English Patient.
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It took me about two years to finally watch it, because I assumed I would hate it. Not so! It’s great. I haven’t seen The English Patient since it came out, I should really watch that again.
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I love Gone Girl, The Princess Bride, and Stand By Me. I am surprised I haven’t seen Much Ado yet, since I’m a big Joss Whedon fan.
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Much Ado is a MUST. It may be one of my favorite movies that I’ve seen in the last 5 years.
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I was totally drawn to this post because of the Much Ado About Nothing poster! Fabulous movie! And fab picks! I love that The Princess Bride is on your list! And Easy A was unexpectedly awesome to me – I really didn’t think it would be as good as it was!
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I had no hope for Easy A at all, and I actually avoided seeing it for a long time, but you’re right, it was surprisingly good.
And Much Ado is the best. I really, really loved it.
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I agree with so many of these- Clueless! High Fidelity! Much Ado! And double with Gone Girl.
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You and I had a similar opinion on Gone Girl I think – much better movie than book.
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I still have yet to watch any of the Much Ado About Nothing adaptations; that one by Joss Whedon looks especially cool! Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You were great movies. Have yet to see Gone Girl though…So many movies, so little time, haha. Great list! 🙂
By the way, I recently moved urls; I’m no longer at caffeinatedlife.net but at eclectictales.com 🙂
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Awesome list. Clueless and 10 Things are two of my favorite movies of all time and, of course, the shark lover in me loves Jaws even if it did cause a major problem for my favorite swimmers. And by that I mean the sharks.
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