On February 9, in the runup to the Oscars, HarperStudio will release Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen. The following are Maltin's top three movies adapted from books that you haven't seen:
The films I've chosen are The Door in the Floor (from John Irving's A Widow for One Year) starring Jeff Bridges, Thumbsucker (from the novel by Walter Kirn, who also wrote Up in the Air), and The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (from the memoir by Terry Ryan).
The marvel of The Door in the Floor is that filmmaker Tod Williams was able to fashion such an exceptional and fully-realized work from just a small portion of Irving's novel. And Jeff Bridges should have had an Oscar nomination that year for his performance.
Thumbsucker is one of my favorite indie films of recent years. It marks the feature debut for graphic designer-turned-moviemaker Mike Mills, who also set himself the task of adapting Kirn's novel. I think his work as a screenwriter is as impressive as his sure-handed direction of this terrific (and well-cast) movie.
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio proves once again that real life is an endless source of great material. Terry Ryan didn't have to invent a story; she grew up as one of 10 children, nurtured by a mother who sacrificed everything for her kids--at a time when women were expected to be happy homemakers. So her mom supported the family by using her wit and determination to win jingle contests. Jane Anderson adapted the book and did a great job directing the stylish film, while Julianne Moore gives an outstanding performance as Evelyn Ryan, with Woody Harrelson as her ne'er-do-well husband.