Movie Mondays: On Mondays, I will review a book series or novel that has been made into a movie. I will then answer the question that everyone asks: which is better, the movie or the book? Here is this week’s offering:
Book: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin | Movie: Something Borrowed (2011)
Which did I read/see first? the BOOK
Book Cover | Movie Poster
The Book:
Series: Darcy and Rachel
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Thoughts:
My full review of the series can be found here but overall, I did enjoy this book. Giffin does a great job of creating likeable characters despite the circumstances. I hate reading about stories where one person is cheating on the other. It’s just slimy to me and I have a hard time getting past it.
Like I said in my previous review, it’s easy to hate Darcy and I really like Dex and Rachel together. I liked watching them fall in love. But the book wouldn’t have as much drama and meaning if there wasn’t an affair so from a critic’s perspective I can understand why Giffin choose this method.
Conclusion:
I was definitely too young when I read this book (like I was just starting high school) and I think if I read it when I was closer to my 30s I might have enjoyed it a bit more. Still, if you are like me and don’t like stories about cheating or chick lit, avoid this book!
Rating: 3.5/5
Series Review: Full series review here!
Similar Reads: Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot (Queen of Babble #1)
It’s not a book but the movie Bride Wars (2009) with Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson reminded me a lot of the relationship between Rachel and Darcy.
The Movie:
I was interested to see how this movie was going to be made more than anything. I find society doesn’t take well to cheating as a whole (though the irony is society still buys magazines plastered with allegations of adultery and the like) so this movie probably wouldn’t appeal to a lot of people. The box office reflects this (which I find interesting because the book was a bestseller for quite some time when it came out) but I have to say I did enjoy this movie very much.
I believe the main reason I love this movie is because of John Krasinski as Ethan. I honestly don’t remember Ethan’s character at ALL in Something Borrowed. Truth be told when I read the synopsis for Something Blue it never even occurred to me that Ethan was a character in Something Borrowed! But he really made this movie for me and I hope for everyone’s sake that the Something Blue movie actually happens because I would love to see more of Ethan. (Just an FYI, the movie was optioned and it sounds like the cast was given contracts for two movies but no word on production or release dates have been given so the odds are pretty low 🙁 )He was funny, blunt and charming and when I think back on the movie, I always think about his scenes.
That isn’t to say the rest of the cast isn’t great. Ginnifer Goodwin (although at the time she was typecasted for these romantic movie leads) has become one of my favourite actresses and I think she did a good job as Rachel. Colin Egglesfield as Dex wasn’t what I pictured exactly when I was reading the book but I think he did a good job. What I liked about his character in the movie was the fact that they try to emphasis more why Dex struggles with his choice between the girls: I found in the book it wasn’t really touched upon all that much. And Kate Hudson as Darcy was great–I absolutely despised her character like I did in the books so WIN.
As far as book to movie adaptions they have done a lot of creative modifications. Marcus wasn’t what I remember reading and I think they took some creative licence to make the movie more of a comedy when the book is definitely far from a comedy. It’s been so long since I read the book that I can’t remember every major plot point but I do know that a lot of the scenes in the movie were changed from the book. It captures the main message of the book overall so as far as adaptations go, it works.
So, which is better: the book or the movie?
In this case, the winner is the MOVIE. While I did enjoy the book, I enjoyed the movie a lot more because of the humour.
Do you agree? Leave a comment below!
Synopsis for Something Borrowed (from Goodreads): Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl—until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy’s fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren’t always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.
Trailer:
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