La vie mouvementée d'A.J. Fikry

I just finished the book the other day and went immediately to the movie. Sadly, I was disappointed. The movie is just kind of ... there. It's slow. Nothing really happens, it just moves from event to event to event through the characters' lives.

It feels like a direct port of the book, for which it suffers. There are parts where the dialogue just does not land properly, at all. It really needed someone to have a better go at the screenplay. Having said that, you can also see where parts from the book have been snipped and shortened, which makes them feel that much more obvious and makes the whole thing feel choppy.

Ultimately it feels like a pet project, like somebody read the book, said "I'll option that", and just put it straight on screen. When people talk about great book-to-movie translations, that's not what they mean.

Most professional critics have been extremely harsh in their reviews of this of this movie. Of course, in my opinion most professional critics are complete morons, who have no clue what it takes for a movie to be truly entertaining or inspiring.

I chose to watch this movie because I am a fan of Kunnal Nayyar from his work on The Bug Bang Theory. To be honest I was expecting to be disappointed in the movie, as so many actors who move on from hit TV shows can never seem to outgrow the characters which made them famous. That is not the case with Kunnal's performance in this movie. He created a very compelling and realistic character in his portrayal of the bookstore owner.

I am not a fan of David Arquette, Christina Hendricks, nor Lucy Hale, but they all did amazing work in this movie, portraying characters which I came to care about, which is not a normal reaction for me to any movie characters. Actually, this is the first time I have ever liked a character played by David Arquette. I believe it is the best work he has ever done. Hendricks on the other hand has played a couple characters which I have thoroughly enjoyed, and this was also one of her strongest yet. Lucy Hale, although I have always considered her a decent actress, has never stood out for me. Hale's performance here was, like her costars, very strong and compelling on a real level. I don't know the names of all the actors who portrayed Maya, but each one did a fantastic job of bringing Maya to life at each age. I found these characters so much more real than any I have ever seen in any Oscar winning movie.

Again, I'm not a professional. Like you, I'm just some poor slob who pays his hard earned money to be entertained, and gets angry when I am scammed out of my money by professionals. I can only offer my opinions as to whether or not I find a movie entertaining on a personal level. So, when I see professionals giving in depth opinions based on production quality, character development, direction, set design, blah, blah, blah, I realize they don't care at all about real entertainment. They gauge movies purely on how much they can show off their knowledge of the industry (or what knowledge they believe themselves to have), despite the fact they likely couldn't produce anything worth watching, even if given unlimited budgets and a decade to make something which is even simply tolerable.

In my life I have watched literally thousands of movies, including many of which tried to portray real life. Very few have succeeded in that endeavor. These types of movies generally bore the audience to death before the first 20 minutes have passed. This movie, however, not only succeeds, it could possibly be the best I have ever seen in making you feel it's a true story, without the slow, painstaking attempts at making it feel humdrum.

Some complain the movie jumps around too much, and doesn't dramatize enough using tortured formulaic prose, which attempt to force the viewer into unearned emotional states of caring or despair for the characters. There are no such devices used here, everything is real and earned.

If you are a person who can appreciate a movie which doesn't attempt to manipulate your emotions through overly dramatic monologues and musical scoring, then you should appreciate this gem.

I loved seeing Kunal as a main character. As I'm recovering from hand surgery, I'm digging into movies I don't normally watch.

I will now seek out this book to read. I feel because it was in a movie setting I may have missed some little details from the book.

There was solid acting in this movie. I do have to say David Arquette did some brilliant acting. I loved Lucy Hale and Christina Hendricks, but their characters and the teenager's character were not really fleshed out.

If you are in need of tears and laughter, this is the story for you. Some reviews call it Hallmarkesque. It isn't quite the Hallmark story you're used to watching. There is more here. It probably would have done better in a limited series form, so that these actors could have had more time to move within these characters. All in all I gave this an 8/10. Critics didn't dig it, but the viewers did. That is the most important part of story telling. Does your audience engage? I did.

Like others, when the film started I assumed yet another Hallmark movie, which could mean anything from utter rubbish to a really good watch.

As it turns out it was a really good watch and despite not thinking much of the first 15 minutes, I soon sank into it and realised I was watching a fabulously crafted film.

All of the actor put in a good effort but the story is one that every one of us can relate to in some way.

Nothing lasts forever except stories. Love comes and goes, renews and dies, just like hate. Good times turn to bad times and vice versa, dreams are sometimes realised and sometimes squashed, and people enter and leave our lives.

But stories always remain.

Absolutely loved this film.

Loved this movie. Great characters and a bit of an intricate story. Very sweet and romantic. Loved the book references.

It may look like a hallmark movie but it is so much more. The story twists and turns but ends up all connected making for a satisfying yet bittersweet ending.

Loved seeing Raj from the Big Bang theory in a starring role. He really carried it off.

The scenes of Alice Island were picturesque and very inviting. The Island Books store was also inviting. All in all I would love to visit. The child actors were very good and sometimes had some good lines.

A great way to spend an afternoon or evening.