Initially this post was supposed to be a movie review for “Everything, Everything”, but having recently written about the novel (you can check out the review here), I decided to compare the book and the movie.
*Spoilers ahead*
Keep going only if you read the book / watched the movie
On the whole, the film follows the same pattern and order of events as in the book. We get a close-up of Madeline Whittier’s (Amandla Stenberg) disease and repetitive schedule (and we feel sorry for her unfortunate life right from the start), we meet Olly Bright (Nick Robinson), the new boy from next door, we watch the two teenagers falling for each other and then, we end up following them throughout their whole quick, crazy journey. Also, the major plot twist (Maddy actually being perfectly healthy) definitely comes as a shock to those who haven’t read the book before watching the movie (and they are most likely to pity the teenage girl even more).
If I had to mention some differences between the novel and the film, I would outline only the most significant one. It’s actually an ingenious idea and I’m quite glad the director, Stella Meghie, came up with it. Instead of showing the audience boring scenes with Maddy and Olly texting each other, the director chooses to place the teenagers in the life-size versions of Maddy’s scale models. Therefore, it seems as if the two friends carry out their discussions in the outside world. Of course, these scenes are part of Maddy’s imagination, but they really turn out to be intriguing for the audience. Another worth-mentioning element is the astronaut who occasionally pops up in the background. He carefully listens to the two teenagers and offers some tips and advice to Maddy, just like a protective inner voice. The girl even states at one point that she often sees herself as an astronaut, protected by the suit in the dangerous surroundings. As there are many threats to overcome and risks to take, we would all need an astronaut to protect us (or preferably become astronauts ourselves).
While reading the story, I felt that everything was happening too quickly, so I started to think that perhaps there could be a slower-paced action development throughout the movie. Unfortunately, the film is even more rushed up than the book. I’m not that type of person who believes in love at first sight. I think every event in our life needs to slowly unwind. There needs to be more patience, not to mention wise decisions and careful observation when hanging out with someone we presumably like. Maddy and Olly just text each other at first and feel as if they know one another very well. That’s not true. They barely know anything. They can’t already be in love. But they are. This fact doesn’t appeal to me at all. Of course, Maddy is stuck in her house, so it’s harder for her to properly explore Olly’s life and interests. But they could still have waited for the right moment. She had nowhere to go. He also seemed to be fully interested in her. They could have taken their time to understand one another completely. How can Maddy be able to risk her entire life for a boy she has known for such a short time? It’s rather crazy when you think of it. Some might claim that this is where the whole beauty of the story lies. Perhaps I’m saying all of these because I don’t agree with taking immediate risks in love. I couldn’t help but notice that so far, no one has had any complaint about the movie and the quickly developed relationship. It’s true that there are many people who just go for it and enjoy the moment, without thinking of consequences. But all in all, this entire topic can be highly debatable. It really matters how each one of us regards love.
I’m going to end this post by briefly answering the following question: why would I choose the book over the movie? It’s quite obvious: the novel lets me imagine the plot and the characters however I want, whereas the movie is the creation of someone with a whole other perspective. In my mind, Maddy and Olly may look different. I might even picture their relationship flourishing in a proper manner. It’s entirely up to me and I will always be keener on this type of freedom.
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