...As a preteen. I was the number one fan of the books by Ann M. Martin. I loved these characters and just the story lines. They were a great for accompanying a young girl as she was growing up. So naturally, when the movie came out, I was more than a little excited. I didn't go to the theaters much when it came out, so when it arrived on VHS, I had to beg my mom to buy it. I loved the movie, but as usual, when you're well acquainted with a book, you feel you know the characters better than the idiots making the movie. I would fire the casting director, because they obviously were just looking to fill the racial roles with no thought as to really getting someone close to the character.
For starters, Zelda Harris could not dance the way the character "Jessie" could in the novels. When they first introduced her, I was so pi$$ed off. I connected to Jessie's character a lot with the book because she was the only black in the group (and in the town period apart from her family) and she was the dancer. Jessie was an excellent dancer who always walked from toe to heel. It was a special dancer thing she acquired (even though I didn't and I did the same types of dance she did. an embellishment of Martin's I think), but she was serious about her technique. In the movie, they introduce Zelda with the girl just flinging her leg up into the air with a flexed foot like she has no idea what the move she did was called. I was so embarrassed for her.
The girl who played Claudia was obviously older than the rest of the girls. They barely looked the ages of 12 and 13. As I watch it as an older person, I see the youth in their faces, but it was pretty evident that these chicks were more on their way to college than high school. Beyond that, Tricia Joe probably wasn't even Korean, which Claudia was. I assuming the casting director just wanted "Asians". Like that meant anything. And Mary Ann should have had long hair, but I digress. I'm being nit-picky, but I was very invested in these characters for a long time, so I can afford to be and have the right since I have all the freakin books, lol.
I understand that when they make a movie out of the books, that it won't be EXACTLY like the book, but at least try to keep certain facets of it similar. A lot of young girls grew up with these characters, and they were the target audience. The least you could do is respect that. All in all, the movie is great for its target audience. It had the necessary forms of trouble that are believable for that age. The story of Kristy's father returning was a very mature touch and I appreciated that about the movie. These girls are at a turning point in their lives where people go to high school and change on people. They also start to deal with real-life issues that will make them do things they never thought they would. I like how the movie dealt with that. That's exactly what happens in the books. They grow apart and we can all relate to that by remembering friends we had in junior high that we didn't have in high school. It was a good story for them to enjoy the time they have before it all falls apart...how dramatic, lol.
However, I must say: I think the Disney version that came on TV was much better than the movie and more sympathetic to the novels and the way the characters looked.
For starters, Zelda Harris could not dance the way the character "Jessie" could in the novels. When they first introduced her, I was so pi$$ed off. I connected to Jessie's character a lot with the book because she was the only black in the group (and in the town period apart from her family) and she was the dancer. Jessie was an excellent dancer who always walked from toe to heel. It was a special dancer thing she acquired (even though I didn't and I did the same types of dance she did. an embellishment of Martin's I think), but she was serious about her technique. In the movie, they introduce Zelda with the girl just flinging her leg up into the air with a flexed foot like she has no idea what the move she did was called. I was so embarrassed for her.
The girl who played Claudia was obviously older than the rest of the girls. They barely looked the ages of 12 and 13. As I watch it as an older person, I see the youth in their faces, but it was pretty evident that these chicks were more on their way to college than high school. Beyond that, Tricia Joe probably wasn't even Korean, which Claudia was. I assuming the casting director just wanted "Asians". Like that meant anything. And Mary Ann should have had long hair, but I digress. I'm being nit-picky, but I was very invested in these characters for a long time, so I can afford to be and have the right since I have all the freakin books, lol.
I understand that when they make a movie out of the books, that it won't be EXACTLY like the book, but at least try to keep certain facets of it similar. A lot of young girls grew up with these characters, and they were the target audience. The least you could do is respect that. All in all, the movie is great for its target audience. It had the necessary forms of trouble that are believable for that age. The story of Kristy's father returning was a very mature touch and I appreciated that about the movie. These girls are at a turning point in their lives where people go to high school and change on people. They also start to deal with real-life issues that will make them do things they never thought they would. I like how the movie dealt with that. That's exactly what happens in the books. They grow apart and we can all relate to that by remembering friends we had in junior high that we didn't have in high school. It was a good story for them to enjoy the time they have before it all falls apart...how dramatic, lol.
However, I must say: I think the Disney version that came on TV was much better than the movie and more sympathetic to the novels and the way the characters looked.