Book vs. Movie: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Book vs. Movie is a feature here at Jenni Elyse. I do a side-by-side comparison of the book and movie (or tv show) and then decide which I like better. There may be minor spoilers.

As I said in my review of SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, I actually saw the movie before I read the book. I loved LOVE, SIMON so much that I decided to read SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA as my first foray into LGBTQ+ fiction. Subsequently, this is more of a Movie vs. Book post.

I watched LOVE, SIMON on Hulu and fell in love with Simon’s story. I connected strongly with him because of his fear of rejection and/or disappointing those he loved if he came out.

I thought that Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel were perfect in the role of Simon’s parents. I loved Nick Robinson as Simon and the actors who played the other high schoolers. I also thought Tony Hale was amazing as the high school principal. I also loved the dancing scene of Simon’s daydream about college. It made me smile and I laughed at his “maybe not that gay” comment.

When I read SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, I was surprised to find out that Simon has two sisters and that he and Abby were in the musical together as the movie doesn’t address that at all. Cal and Martin, Leah’s crush, and the ending were all different between the movie and book. I like both endings. I think they both fit the medium well. I liked that both the movie and book explore bullying, acceptance, friendship, and family.

Verdict

I bet you know the verdict before I even say it. The movie’s different from the book, but the spirit of the story’s still the same. Most of the time books are way better than their movies, but in this instance, I think both the book and movie are equally as good.

Have you read SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA? Have you seen LOVE, SIMON? Do you like the book or the movie better?

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Book vs. Movie: Nine Perfect Strangers

Book vs. Movie is a feature here at Jenni Elyse. I do a side-by-side comparison of the book and movie (or tv show) and then decide which I like better. There may be minor spoilers.

As I said in my review of NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, I was really excited to read the book because I love Liane Moriarty. I ended up really liking the book. I connected strongly with a few of the characters and I thought Moriarty did a great job of writing about depression, suicide, suicidal ideation, grief, psychedelic therapy, and the way we deal with trauma and setbacks in our life. I did think some of the plot was a little far-fetched, but the story and the characters were so compelling that I didn’t care.

I decided to watch the Hulu series with Corey because we were both such huge fans of the HBO production of Moriarty’s BIG LITTLE LIES. I didn’t tell him anything about the book when we started the first episode. We binge-watched all eight episodes in two sittings.

I thought that Melissa McCarthy was the perfect Frances Welty and that it was fun to see her real-life husband play Paul Drabble. I also really liked Samara Weaving as Jessica, Bobby Cannavale as Tony, and Manny Jacinto as Yao. I hated that Nicole Kidman was cast as Masha at first. She grew on me, though, especially the Hulu version of Masha which was very different from the book version of Masha. I didn’t like what they did to Carmel’s character. Regina Hall did a great job as Carmel; I just really hated the changes to her character. Everyone else was fine.

The Hulu series is SO different from the book that even though I knew the main story, I was mostly in the dark the entire time. I understand why the story was changed. Most books are when they’re adapted for the screen. I just don’t get why NINE PERFECT STRANGERS was changed as much as it was. View Spoiler »

I did like how the show explored depression, suicide, suicidal ideation, and grief. I think the psychedelic therapy aspect of the story was handled a little too cavalierly for my taste in the show vs. how Moriarty wrote about it in the book.

Verdict

The Hulu production is so different from the book, but the spirit of the story’s still the same. Most of the time, books are way better than their adaptations. In this instance, I think that’s still true. While the series was good and the actors were phenomenal, I think the original way Moriarty wrote the story is the better way.

Have you read NINE PERFECT STRANGERS? Have you seen the Hulu series? Do you like the book or the series better?

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Book vs. Movie: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Book vs. Movie is a feature here at Jenni Elyse. I do a side-by-side comparison of the book and movie (or tv show) and then decide which I like better. There may be minor spoilers.

As I said in my review of TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE, I really liked Lara Jean and her sisters. I liked LJ and Kitty the most. I loved how feisty Kitty was. Margot got on my nerves a little bit, but I still respected her for how she took it upon herself to take care of her younger sisters and even Dr. Covey since the death of her mom.

I adored the movie. I liked the actors in the movie, especially the ones who played Lara Jean, Kitty, Dr. Covey, and Peter. I thought they all did a phenomenal job with their parts. I liked the chemistry between the actors and I don’t just mean Lara Jean and her “boys.” I mostly mean the Covey family. I like that we got to know Dr. Covey more in the movie and that he’s the one who talked about her mom not Margot.

I liked the two main guys in the book and how Lara Jean interacted with them. I hated the love triangle aspect of the story as it’s my least favorite trope. I’d hands down rather deal with instalove than a love triangle. I thought the movie put less emphasis on the love triangle aspect of the story. Of course, both boys were still there, but Lara Jean spent more time with one than the other, which made the romance that much more awesome.

Even though I didn’t like the love triangle in the book, I enjoyed the actual story. I thought it was fun to read the chaos from all the events that happened. I was excited for the typical YA rom-com happy ending, but I didn’t get it because the book doesn’t end and it’s so frustrating! What I loved most about the movie is that it didn’t follow in the book’s footsteps and ended in a very satisfactory way. The ending left the story open enough to entice the watcher to the second movie. And, if I don’t watch the second movie, it’s okay because the first movie works well as a stand-alone.

Verdict

I bet you know the verdict before I even say it. The movie’s different from the book, but the spirit of the story’s still the same. Most of the time, books are way better than their movies, but in this instance, I have no hesitation in saying that I think the movie’s better than the book.

Have you read TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE? Have you seen the Netflix movie? Which one do you think is better?

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