This movie thwarted me in a couple of ways. First, the book this film is based on takes place mostly in the late 1800s so I thought it was a perfect fit for the Victorian Mist category. But the movie changed the timeline! The majority of the action takes place in the early 1900s! Doh! Close enough I suppose....Second, I freaking LOVED this book as a child and I have such fond memories of it. It was quite literally life changing for me. I remember being puzzled and challenged by the book. It was the first time I wasn't able to predict characters actions and the ending of a book and in that way it was a very satisfying read and left me wanting more from literature. But this movie - disappointing! I'm left wondering if it was just a poor film adaptation or if the book isn't what I remember. I don't like my childhood memories of books being tarnished and now I'm going to have to go back and read the dang book again!
For those who don't know the premise of Tuck Everlasting is that a young sheltered girl named Winnie encounters a peculiar family, The Tucks, in the woods one day. It's not giving away much of the plot to reveal that she soon learns that the family is immortal because they inadvertently drank from a magical stream. Okay, it's a bit of a stretch, but I remember it being a bittersweet book full of magic and longing with a deliciously languorous pace.
The first thing I noticed and didn't like about the movie is that they changed Winnie's age from 11 to 15. So much of her experience in the book has to do with her being on the brink of puberty. She's still a child and sees the world as a child would and this plays a big part in her final choice. Winnie in the movie is on the brink of womanhood and so the relationship between her and Jesse is more clearly defined in a romantic way. I can understand why this would be changed to appeal to a wider audience, but I think it took away some of the wonder and uniqueness of the story.
I will admit that the two young lead actors are immensely appealing looking. I think Alexis Bledel is achingly gorgeous and her 'look' is perfectly suited to period films. Jonathan Jackson is a very handsome young man, but his performance didn't feel very authentic and the chemistry between the two never came together for me. One of the big problems for me is that the movie felt very rushed and therefor the character's actions felt very extreme and ridiculous. This carries over for all of the actors. The man in the yellow suit played by the fantastic Ben Kingsley just seemed silly and not threatening in any way. And what on earth was going on with William Hurt's accent in this film? Is it supposed to be Irish? Whatever it was it was horrible and terribly distracting.
I do not recommend this film at all and now I'm not even sure I recommend the book. It's been too long since I read it. Hopefully, I'll correct that soon!
For those who don't know the premise of Tuck Everlasting is that a young sheltered girl named Winnie encounters a peculiar family, The Tucks, in the woods one day. It's not giving away much of the plot to reveal that she soon learns that the family is immortal because they inadvertently drank from a magical stream. Okay, it's a bit of a stretch, but I remember it being a bittersweet book full of magic and longing with a deliciously languorous pace.
The first thing I noticed and didn't like about the movie is that they changed Winnie's age from 11 to 15. So much of her experience in the book has to do with her being on the brink of puberty. She's still a child and sees the world as a child would and this plays a big part in her final choice. Winnie in the movie is on the brink of womanhood and so the relationship between her and Jesse is more clearly defined in a romantic way. I can understand why this would be changed to appeal to a wider audience, but I think it took away some of the wonder and uniqueness of the story.
I will admit that the two young lead actors are immensely appealing looking. I think Alexis Bledel is achingly gorgeous and her 'look' is perfectly suited to period films. Jonathan Jackson is a very handsome young man, but his performance didn't feel very authentic and the chemistry between the two never came together for me. One of the big problems for me is that the movie felt very rushed and therefor the character's actions felt very extreme and ridiculous. This carries over for all of the actors. The man in the yellow suit played by the fantastic Ben Kingsley just seemed silly and not threatening in any way. And what on earth was going on with William Hurt's accent in this film? Is it supposed to be Irish? Whatever it was it was horrible and terribly distracting.
I do not recommend this film at all and now I'm not even sure I recommend the book. It's been too long since I read it. Hopefully, I'll correct that soon!
2 comments:
It's a book I really loved when young, too. I haven't read it in ages, but you've made me want to go back and reopen it. Too bad the movie was a flop- all too often film versions disappoint me.
Hi Jeane - Thanks for your comments! I always feel like I should backtrack a bit when I'm so negative about a book or movie. Maybe this one isn't quite a flop(a lot of reviewers seemed to like it) but for me it didn't live up to what I remembered about the book.
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