I read the book about a week ago and thought it was fabulous, especially the ending. Today I was scrolling through the channels and saw the movie was on so I decided to watch it.
The acting was very good, and if you saw the movie without reading the book you would probably enjoy it, like some of the other reviewers said. I understand that there is always poetic license in movies, some more than others. However, in this case, they should have kept it more true to the book, especially the ending. I understand why they took the side plot of Campbell and Julia out, since that was not crucial to the story. They should have kept the fire scenes and Jesse's juvenile delinquency in, as that had an impact on Anna and the family. Also, they made Anna two years younger than the book. Don't know why they changed the sex of the judge, nor why they changed the Aunt's name to Kelly. What really bothered me was changing the ending. The movie ending was poignant, but if they kept the book's ending, it still would have been poignant and more ironic, the way Jodi Picoult wanted it. Anna dying in a car accident after she won the case, and Kate getting the kidney and going into remission packs more of a punch. Unfortunately, authors usually sign away screenplay approval. I hope if Jodi Picoult is offered any more movie adaptations for her book, she will be involved in the screenplay.
The acting was very good, and if you saw the movie without reading the book you would probably enjoy it, like some of the other reviewers said. I understand that there is always poetic license in movies, some more than others. However, in this case, they should have kept it more true to the book, especially the ending. I understand why they took the side plot of Campbell and Julia out, since that was not crucial to the story. They should have kept the fire scenes and Jesse's juvenile delinquency in, as that had an impact on Anna and the family. Also, they made Anna two years younger than the book. Don't know why they changed the sex of the judge, nor why they changed the Aunt's name to Kelly. What really bothered me was changing the ending. The movie ending was poignant, but if they kept the book's ending, it still would have been poignant and more ironic, the way Jodi Picoult wanted it. Anna dying in a car accident after she won the case, and Kate getting the kidney and going into remission packs more of a punch. Unfortunately, authors usually sign away screenplay approval. I hope if Jodi Picoult is offered any more movie adaptations for her book, she will be involved in the screenplay.