Eat, Pray, Love
discussion
How true did the movie stay to the book?
The movie skimmed over a lot of the main points in the storyline. The main issue was her divorce which she really struggled with. So she decided to go travelling to overcome all the hurt she was feeling. A lot of people said the book was self indulgent too but I think that a memoir should be just that. The time restraints on the movie obviously just didnt allow for all of the lovely details to shine through. I didnt enjoy it half as much as I enjoyed the book, especially the part in Italy which in the book took up a huge portion of the story. The film seemed intent on focusing on the love story where as in the book it was just a nice surprise near the end.
Ashleigh wrote: "The movie skimmed over a lot of the main points in the storyline. The main issue was her divorce which she really struggled with. So she decided to go travelling to overcome all the hurt she was fe..."Thank you very much for the honest response. I understand your point of how memoirs would seem to be self-indulgent at times. I hadn't considered that in my initial rant against the movie version. In the movie, I did like the part that focused on her visit to Italy. She seemed so happy there and that is what frustrated me so when she left. She has happiness, but for some reason, it just isn't enough for her. Nothing is enough until Felipe stands his ground at the end and makes her stop running from herself.
I may just do the modern day version of sampling books.....order the free sample from via Kindle and then decide.
I do think its worth reading. This book seems to create a love/hate vibe in people so I would completely understand if you hated it. Personally because I loved the selfish idea of just running away and indulging in all of the things we love and of course learning from new cultures and just generally seeing the world, I thought it was an entertaining read. I do agree that she was a seriously lucky woman to have such an opportunity. People have commented saying that she had so much in life that she didnt appreciate but having things and money and a good man doesnt always result in happiness. I looked at it from the perspective that if she had all of these lovely things and she still didnt feel fulfilled then she must have been really unhappy. Everyone deserves to find happiness.
I absolutely think the book is worth reading. The storyline in the book is more around her search for happiness and spirituality. I thought the movie focused more on her love stories than anything else. I really enjoyed the book better (in fact I slept through the movie the first time I saw it!)
I simply cannot watch that movie. When they cast Julia Roberts I almost puked. In my reading of the book I would never have pictured her, and the love interest was OLDER than the woman character, not younger like Javier Bardem. UGH
Linda wrote: "I simply cannot watch that movie. When they cast Julia Roberts I almost puked. In my reading of the book I would never have pictured her, and the love interest was OLDER than the woman character..."oh no .. get a feeling i am not going to like the film :( Have jut finished the book and it was going to see how it measured up
i do not like the film ... Fact!I dont like Julie Roberts Portrayl of Liz Gilbert...Fact!
Thank god I read the book First .... Fact!
I totally do not agree with you. Both the book and the movie had an impact on me. The book was full of the true feeling a person might have as they are encountering grief. Julia Robert revealed her talent in acting by giving a great performance.
i really liked the book but felt a little let down by film :(
The book is most of the time the better choice. I really enjoyed the book and it came at a time in my life when I needed it.
am looking forward to reading commited
when i watched the movie the first time i was like, wow thats awesome, i loved it and then i tried reading the book and found it extremely hard to get into. once i finished it i watched the movie again and i didn't like it as much! the movie was not all that true to the book!
Emily wrote: "when i watched the movie the first time i was like, wow thats awesome, i loved it and then i tried reading the book and found it extremely hard to get into. once i finished it i watched the movie a..."True. I watched the movie first and had the same reaction, but then I read the book. It was more personal reading the book. Maybe, I felt like I was more inside her head and could feel what she was feeling. I dont know. The book was much better, however the movie inspired me to read the book. Therefore, I cant say the movie was all bad in the first place.
Isabelle wrote: "I absolutely think the book is worth reading. The storyline in the book is more around her search for happiness and spirituality. I thought the movie focused more on her love stories than anythin..."I also quite enjoyed the book ... despite it seeming a tad self indulgent (she was paid to go off and find herself and write a book). I struggled to sit through the movie - all style and little substance. I may even have had a little nap :)
I saw the movie before reading the book, therefore I had no clue what was going. The writing is awesome, I'm just not a fan of the story.
The movie was horrible. It was just food, comedy, and sex. It missed the whole point of the book I think... wasn't good.
The book was awesome....the movie (puke)!
The book was simply a wonderful chat with a good friend. Read the book when you need something "easy to read."The movie was a mess. See the movie if you can't read the book.
I liked the film, but I definitely loved the book. the book is always better anyway! you can't get everything into a film, and alot was missed...the point of the book, was that she discovered that she didn't need her husband(or any man)to define herself..the film missed that.
I agree with Catherine. I liked the film too, but it didn't get across the whole point which, to me, had to do with her growth as a person. It was about her "dark night" and how she found the tools inside herself to live--and live well--on her own. The book was a beautifully nuanced rendering of a personal journey. The movie not so much.
I read the book first and loved it. Since I am a movie fan, I imagined the movie right away, but was dissappointed. I like Julia Roberts, but she is soo big that all I could see was her. And I didn't like the casting for the men at all. Wanted Sam Elliot in the Ashram. I could just imagine him calling a gal "grocerys" with a twinkle. Oh well, I still have my version in my head.
I just felt that they hasd so much to put into the movie that they did the best they could. They had to put this whole adventure into a two hour movie and they did it the best they could. I loved the book alot more but I love Julia Roberts and the movie was dissapointing but they did the best they could with only a two hour time gap. There was ALOT they had to cover on the movie from the book and I think they did the best they could.
the book was great, i absolutely loved it. the movie was rushed, and that made it bad to me. i read the book first and had such high expectations for the movie. they could have made it flow better. =/
Hated the book--would not see the movie.
The movie was mediocre, it did not capture the book essence at all. The book was more about what she learned by traveling through countries, I did not get any of that from the movie.
The movie has changed my view of the book. I am going to read it again. I think I may understand her situation a little better now that I saw the movie. The great scenery didn't hurt either. :)
The movie skimmed over all of the spiritual aspects of the book and didn't really explain how lost and empty Liz felt. It might seem self-indulgent and almost silly when you see the woman in the movie so miserable because like others have said, what was so wrong about her life? The way the movie portrayed her it would seem like she had no reason to pack up and leave. But in the book you really feel how unhappy she is and you can understand. You also see her struggle for growth in the book. She works and sometimes even suffers a bit in India and Bali, not so much Italy. You are rooting for her in the book. In the movie you're kind of waiting for something to happen and that's because all the main points in the book were not in the movie, or were watered down to make them more palpable for people who do not believe in spiritual experiences. The movie also lacked the interesting insights Liz discovered about the different cultures, especially about the Balinese people. Those observations show just what a great writer Elizabeth Gilbert is. The movie didn't even bother.
Watch the movie for the beautiful Italy, India and Nepal scenes. Read the book if you wonder what going through a divorce is like. I, too, thought it was elitist and self-indulgent at first, but of course Gilbert needed to be self-absorbed. This is a chronicle a modern woman pausing to consider what her priorities are in life. And even that year of traveling wasn't completely self-indulgent. She did her research, wrote a book that inspired a movie. I think the book is worthy of reading.
May wrote: "Watch the movie for the beautiful Italy, India and Nepal scenes. Read the book if you wonder what going through a divorce is like. I, too, thought it was elitist and self-indulgent at first, but of..."I meant, Bali*....woops. This must be a freudian slip. I 've been wanting to go to Nepal.
I found the movie very disappointing....with julia Roberts as the lead, I thought she would be amazing, but it doesnt matter what actress if the film is disappointing!!! I liked the book much better...The disappointing movie kind of ruined this whole book too...which is a shame!
movie was certainly much quicker! book went on and on and on and on and on and on..............
Something the movie and book were both vague to misleading about was that this "self-discovery" was bought and paid for by her publisher. The premise that she sacrificed anything major to tour the world for a year is false.
I definately thought the book was alot better and the movie was disappointing but they had so much to put in the movie and only had two hours to do it! The movie was disappointing but I liked both!
Mocha Spresso wrote: "I have to say that the movie didn't inspire me to want to read the book at all. I am wondering if the story line was changed? It seems like it is was about a very privileged woman having to go on..."I haven't seen the movie, but I forced myself throught the 1st 1/3 of the book (Italy). I have the same "woe is me" impression. However, I did promise a friend who loved it that I would try reading it again. Maybe I'll compromise and just see the movie and waste a lot less of my time.
The movie was awful awful awful... don't waste your time! I can see how people might interpret the book to be about a selfish person; However, I didn't take it that way- I found her experiences and insights to be inspirational and heartwarming. The movie did portray her as shallow and 2 dimensional.(Also, as a side note, I listened to this book on CD which was a special experience given the reader was the author herself).
Mocha Spresso wrote: "I have to say that the movie didn't inspire me to want to read the book at all. I am wondering if the story line was changed? It seems like it is was about a very privileged woman having to go on..."
I have to say I disagree. The movie did inspire me to read the book, which did smoke the movie. The only thing better in the movie was the dialogue delivered by the Richard character. I also hated Philippe in both the movie and the book. It's really three books in one anyway, I liked the Italy part the best. I am surprised by all the negative feedback this book has received in light of the fact that it did sell so many copies.
I find with most books, if you read the book first, you will most certainly be disappointed by the movie because they just can't include everything in a span of ninety minutes.
well..it was as close as could be in 2 hours! of course if was self-indulgent...isn't that the point of a memoir? you are writing about yourself....as to comparing the two...I liked the book much better...the film was good only in that you got to see the places instead of imaginingt them...it made me want to pick up and go!
but then....you can only cover so much when making a screenplay....and that is true for any book-made into film.
True Catherine but the character of Richard was embellished in the movie and the character of tutti's mother was totally misrepresented in the movie as she was a swindler in the book.
I agree... it was nice to see the book played out in the settings I imagined. However, it was truly disappointing to see the tiny and enormous changes that the director made to the storyline:
What happened to her Italian language groups with the twin and Sophie? Why did they have to change it to meeting in a busy cafe?
The casting for her lover was awful- he was not confident and suave but quite the opposite... and what was that awkward scene where his son came to visit and told him to sleep with her? Furthermore, the scene where he did bring her to bed- they completely ruined that.
I spent the whole movie cringing and was so thankful that I had read the book beforehand to get an untainted view into the author's mind. I understand that the story needed to be consolidated into 2 hours, but to completely fabricate aspects of the plot was just uncalled for.
The movie was absolutely horrible, but I really enjoyed the book. The movie is completely about moving Elizabeth onto finding true love, which Hollywood continues to tout as the only path of enlightenment for any woman; it even threw in a rebound relationship (not in the book) that took up way too much time and added nothing to the film. The movie portrays Elizabeth's husband as an overgrown 12-year-old that no woman would stand by after more than a few years. I also hated the scene where Julia/Elizabeth chastises her friend who won't indulge in the great pasta in Italy because it doesn't really matter what a woman weighs, she should enjoy her life. The very next scene, they are in dressing rooms, two skinny women, stuffing themselves into skinny jeans, completely discounting what Julia/Elizabeth said. And, though I love Javier Bardem, he was too young.The book was much better in that it was about a woman being able to focus on herself for a year and think about what her life was about. Part of it was about grieving, but part of it was also about growing up and thinking about how to make better choices for her life. Elizabeth Gilbert also goes to great pains to protect as much of her ex-husbands anonymity as possible, especially since her divorce was the catalyst for this adventure. She never made him look like an idiot and took personal responsibility for the one leaving the relationship.
Suffice to say, the movie was completely Hollywoodized and, except for the countries that Julia Roberts went to, there aren't very many similarities to the book.
they weren't stuffing themselves into skinny jeans... they were getting the size jeans that they currently were wearing...not thinking that they had put on THAT much weight! I agree..they should have left that scene out.the film did focus on alot that wasn't mentioned much in the book, but she did refer to her "rebound relationship" when she was in Italy and in India...so I don;t think that was overdone...but the parts with her ex-husband...were a bit much...she didn't really write much about him...not the way they portrayed her remembering everthing, anyway.
the movie killed the book!!! the book is simply amazing.. it's a deep and inspiring story.. really enjoyed reading it, but the movie wasn't that good. In the movie, they missed some big and important details, i felt lost during the movies. It was empty.
after watching the movie, it's true that the movie skimmed over a lot of the main points in the storyline, and killed the book.
Good point Hoha. The only thing that the movie did better than the book was the Richard character. In the movie, Richard comes clean with his past to Liz. This wasn't even in the book, so I'm wondering if the screenplay writer just added it on his own. Also in the book tuttie's mother was a swindler and in the movie no mention was made of this. I have to say that the character of Phillipe made me sick in both the movie and the book.
Gzl wrote: "after watching the movie, it's true that the movie skimmed over a lot of the main points in the storyline, and killed the book."i agree with you Gzl it was like theiy onlt put half the story in the movie
Mocha Spresso wrote: "I have to say that the movie didn't inspire me to want to read the book at all. I am wondering if the story line was changed? It seems like it is was about a very privileged woman having to go on..."I think that you should read the book because it s different than the movie ; the movie didn t surve right to the book and it s not (the who i m I)type of novels it s more then for finding who she is it s about life and how do we deal with it ^^ so give the book a chance
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What do you think, should I try to read the book?