I’m sitting here reading about embarrassing mothers in literature, right? Just a regular article. And then I see something that leaves me like 😲. I’ll share.
There’s this movie. One that I imagine you will know as soon as I write the name of it. Mrs. Doubtfire. You know it. Sally Field. Robin Williams. Lots of laughs. But did you know it’s actually based on a book!? I definitely didn’t. I also didn’t expect it to be young adult. But yes, the movie was adapted from a book published in 1987.
Which leads me to today’s question. There are so many movies adapted from books nowadays that we can’t possibly know all of them. What are some of the movies you’ve enjoyed (or not) that you didn’t initially know were based off of books?
I think this one takes the top spot for me. There are others, but they’re not as well done or respected as this.
Johnny Reads 
10 Things I Hate About You–I didn’t know, when I fell in love with it, that it’s based off Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew!
She’s the Man–Again, didn’t realize it’s based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night until AFTER I fell in love with it.
…I know there are others, but I’m having a huge dead-brain moment and can’t think of them right now. Whoops.
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The Lion King — ALSO based off Shakespeare, this time Hamlet
WHY are all the movie adaptations I can think of based on Shakespeare plays?!?! XD
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Hahaha I’m with you. The one I didn’t know was Shakespeare was O. I think it’s based off Othello, right? That’s the one you made me think of know. But I think there are so many Shakespeare ones that it’d be impossible to know them all.
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I’m sure there are a TON of them out there, so it’s really not surprising I love so many already. I’m not sure about O, but I think you’re probably right?
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Shakespeare will never not be adapted. It’s a little ridiculous.
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Right?! Lmao oh well, we all have our obsessions I suppose.
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Fight Club. Didn’t know it was a book when I saw the movie. And a very close adaptation it is, too.
The Virgin Suicides I didn’t know was based on a novel. A very good novel as well.
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I don’t think I’ve seen fight club. So I don’t know who wrote it, either. But The Virgin Suicides is Jeffrey Eugenides, right? I have Middlesex and I think that one was mentioned on the back cover.
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Yes, he is such a good writer when it comes to the inner lives of people.
Fight Club is by Chuck Palahniuk. And I like the fact that I have a copy of the book before the movie came out. Because it has the original artwork on the cover instead of a piece of soap and the face of Brad Pitt. You know what I mean? I don’t like it when they change the artwork or even the title(!) of a book after it was made into a movie.
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I have no preference for covers. I have a few movie tie-in covers, but mostly just regular ones.
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I had no clue! Wow! I’m reading The Martian by Andy Weir now, but I saw the movie first. Until I went in Books-A-Million and saw the book, I had no idea that it was based on a book. Some movies are great when they’re based on books.
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Oh, really? The Martian is one I knew about because it was originally self-published.
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Proves how ignorant I was. 🙂 I loved the book. Andy Weir is such a great author.
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I have it on my shelf. Haven’t read it or seen the movie. 😳
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Princess Diaries. I didn’t know it was a series until I saw both movies.
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I’m with you there. I didn’t know it was a series until I started working in a bookstore.
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The mini-series “Brideshead Revisited” was almost word for word out of the book. And many movies have been based on “Wuthering Heights,” but only one (the one starring R. Finnes) followed the book accurately. Didn’t know that “Mrs. Doubtfire” was based on a book. Thanks for the info.
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I think a lot of classics are adapted pretty regularly, but they are done so far away from the book that we don’t even realize it sometimes. Like Dracula. I don’t know why they keep adapting that book so poorly.
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Jurassic Park. *ducks head in shame* I was liiiiiiiiiitle, in my defense. Little enough that mum tried covering my eyes during the dinosaur attacks. Still is my favorite movie ever. Did end up reading the book a few years ago…didn’t like it! LOL.
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Jurassic Park is most definitely a great movie. AND I actually think I’m right there with you. I can’t recall when I found out it was a book. But I did read it. And I enjoyed it. Even read its sequel.
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I know I’ve read the sequel before, and remember thinking it was okay, but I just recently got it as an audio book, and for the life of me I just can’t get through it.
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I’ve actually never voluntarily listened to an audio book. Haha so I don’t know how that would effect me.
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I got into them last year. I prefer listening to a book than the radio on the drive from work
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Hmm. I need my country fix during my drive. I rarely listen to music at home.
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I listen to music when I’m working out. That’s it.
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I saw the film Watership-down on the TV yesterday. Very British, about some rabbits who are looking for a new den to live in after their home was threatened by developers. It was written in 1978 and I read the book then. I had won an art competition in a local newspaper, and bought the book with the vouchers. I loved the book, but being in my late teens I don’t think I had the imagination then to fully understand it. I must say that watching the film again was a little gory and gruesome, and I have to say upsetting. But of course it is just like real wild life!
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I’m not familiar with the movie or book. But it sounds like something I’d enjoy. Hmm.
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You could probably still find it to read.
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