Movie: Available Now on Netflix, with Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes
Book: Available Now in Audio, Print, Digital
It seems like Hollywood is always, always scrambling for new material. So last year, when I learned that Netflix was adapting my favorite Katherine Center book, Happiness for Beginners, I was both thrilled and nervous. You know what I mean, right? That scary combination of “woohoo!” and “oh, boy, what are they going to do to it?”
***SPOILER ALERT*** If you want zero spoilers about the book or movie, this is where you should stop reading. Right here. Yep. Here…. Stop.
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Hey, you stayed! Awesome. Let’s dig in…
First off, we know that “the book was better” is pretty much the norm. Not always (Example: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society,) but usually. We prepare for some artistic license. We prepare for possible disappointment. We hope we will be happily surprised, but it’s no shocker when we aren’t. That was my mindset when I watched Happiness for Beginners on Netflix early this morning.
What’s ironic is that the things I was initially concerned about–the supporting cast, the setting changes, the smaller age discrepancy between Jake and Helen–turned out to be non-issues. My biggest complaint? Screenwriter/Director Vicky Wight chopped a very important section at the beginning.
If you’re completely unfamiliar with the book, it is about a new divorcee named Helen Carpenter who decides to reset her life by participating in a three week hiking course. Aside from being completely out of her comfort zone, she is surprised to learn that her younger brother’s best friend, Jake, is also going to be there. There are so many wonderful and bittersweet moments in the book, but the fact that Helen and Jake travel together to the hiking course sets a strong foundation for their relationship. It also explains the changes between them once they meet up with their instructor, Beckett, and the rest of the group.
This entire section was cut from the movie. Instead, Helen travels alone and sees Jake once she arrives. Whaat? It’s one of the best parts of the book! A terrible creative decision and my main gripe. But it’s a big gripe because, without this section, a lot of expository info was kept from us. Some production was scaled down because the film was made during COVID, but I doubt that’s the reason for this specific choice. (Therefore I give the film a tepid “B” for “butchering.”)
I loved the casting of Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes (because who doesn’t love Kayce from Yellowstone, right?) And, even though the age difference was a lot less than in the book, it worked. The scenery was lovely. I really liked the casting for Windy, Beckett, and Grandma Gigi (the always fabulous Blythe Danner.) But I hope that future adaptations of Katherine Center’s books are put in the hands of someone else. Vicky Wight has been at the helm of two KC projects now (The Lost Husband and now Happiness for Beginners,) and both are so diluted in story and emotion compared to their respective source material, that most of the special moments we saw in the books are completely gone. I’ve been severely underwhelmed twice now.
So would I recommend the movie of Happiness for Beginners? Eh, sure. It’s cute. (It currently has an unimpressive 5.8 on IMDb.)
Would I recommend the BOOK of Happiness for Beginners? YOU BETCHA. Skip the movie. Read the book or listen to the audio (also super.) You can learn more about it here: https://readwithkristie.com/2022/03/16/author-spotlight-katherine-center/
Final thought? THE BOOK WAS BETTER.
Readwithkristie.com 