The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

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.

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.

I loved the book and hoped the film would do it justice. Makes sense that it did since the author wrote the screenplay! It's funny, sad, heartwarming, sometimes all at once. The leads did a wonderful job and I think their love story is something a lot of people wish upon themselves. This story also has some mysteries in it that are revealed in time, and while this is definitely a romance, it gives all the characters their own stories that blend seamlessly with AJ's journey. Maya is such a cutie and I loved watching her grow up and I can only imagine what the future holds for her. Will definitely be rewatching soon.

The performance were all ultimately very good, but I found the first few scenes clumsy and I nearly abandoned it. It improved about 10 minutes in, and I'm glad I stayed with it because it was a nice movie with a tender story. All the leads were solid, but I must say I thought David Arquette was absolutely superb. It's worth watching. The scenery was beautiful, and the running scenes well-shot. I hadn't read the book, so I can't speak to whether it captured the author's tone, but since the author was a producer, is suspect that it was well-adapted. If you're looking for action and a fast pace, this isn't for you. If you enjoy a good story with relatable characters and a somewhat believable scenario, it's a good movie.

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.