I had read the book soon after it came out in '94 and was pleased to see that it was being made into a movie. I was less pleased when I actually saw the movie.
There are many examples I could give, but I'll stick with the most basic. For one, the feel of the school was all wrong. While the book perfectly captured the culture of rebellious teenagers resisting authority in an old-school Catholic environment, the movie didn't even come close. One gets the impression that the filmmakers had no personal experience in that environment and copied ideas they'd seen in other movies.
Suprisingly, another big problem was Jodie Foster. While she is one of the best actors of her generation, she is woefully miscast as the evil nun. (I know evil nuns. I attended classes taught by evil nuns. Jodie Foster is no evil nun.)
The various subplots and student subgroups were mishandled or missing completely. The book showed the main characters interacting with other students and contained a potent racial subplot relevant to the time period. The movie left every character flat and unconvincing. Even a surprising revelation by a main character and the dramatic conclusion were played simply for shallow shock value.
Overall, it was a disappointing film. And my negative appraisal is not simply because the book was better (as is often the case). A good friend who also attended Catholic school saw the movie and found it to be untrue to its setting and even exploitive. It's just not very good on its own merits.
There are many examples I could give, but I'll stick with the most basic. For one, the feel of the school was all wrong. While the book perfectly captured the culture of rebellious teenagers resisting authority in an old-school Catholic environment, the movie didn't even come close. One gets the impression that the filmmakers had no personal experience in that environment and copied ideas they'd seen in other movies.
Suprisingly, another big problem was Jodie Foster. While she is one of the best actors of her generation, she is woefully miscast as the evil nun. (I know evil nuns. I attended classes taught by evil nuns. Jodie Foster is no evil nun.)
The various subplots and student subgroups were mishandled or missing completely. The book showed the main characters interacting with other students and contained a potent racial subplot relevant to the time period. The movie left every character flat and unconvincing. Even a surprising revelation by a main character and the dramatic conclusion were played simply for shallow shock value.
Overall, it was a disappointing film. And my negative appraisal is not simply because the book was better (as is often the case). A good friend who also attended Catholic school saw the movie and found it to be untrue to its setting and even exploitive. It's just not very good on its own merits.