Great Movies Based On Books
30 Comedies And Dramas To Add To Your Watch And Read Lists
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
When writers die they become books, which is after all not too bad an incarnation.
Movies are hyperrealistic and thereby elevate our mundane existence by allowing us to effortlessly experience a wide range of profound emotions and ideas, safely in our seats. We can laugh, we can cry, we can believe in romance, in heroes, in never-ending love, and we can wind up feeling deeply satisfied after being exposed to a well-crafted movie. The combination of story, cinematography, and music can be so powerful and meaningful. It’s a beautiful art form.
But there is one way to enrich this experience even further, and that is to seek the books that were the inspiration, if not the roadmap, for many great movies.
Here is a list of movies based on books:
The Maltese Falcon (1941) is a film noir drama written and directed by John Huston, based on the book by Samuel Dashiell Hammett, about Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart), a San Francisco private detective whose business partner is murdered soon after he takes the case of Ruth Wonderly (Mary Astor), a woman who is not who she claims to be.
Life Lesson: “Do your duty, and a little more, and the future will take care of itself.”
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The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) is a drama written and directed by John Huston, based on the novel by B. Traven, about three Americans: Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart), Curtin (Tim Holt), and Howard (Walter Huston), who search for gold in Mexico.
Life Lesson: There is no bad news; there are only blessings in disguise.
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) is a drama directed by Robert Aldrich, based on the novel by Henry Farrell, about Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis), a former child-star who torments her disabled older sister, Blanche Hudson (Joan Crawford), out of jealousy and spite.
Life Lesson: Don’t let someone else have absolute power over you.
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A Christmas Story (1983) is a comedy directed by Bob Clark, based on the semi-autobiographical book by Jean Shepherd, about nine-year-old Ralphie Parker’s (Peter Billingsley) wish to get the greatest Christmas gift ever.
Life Lesson: Life delivers both disappointments and unexpected joys.
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Yentl (1983) is a drama based on the story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, co-written and directed by Barbra Streisand about Yentl (Barbra Streisand), a Polish woman who disguises herself as a man in order to continue her education at a yeshiva when her father, Rebbe Mendel (Nehemiah Persoff), who taught her in secrecy, dies – leaving her an orphan.
Life Lesson: Don’t let others stop you from pursing knowledge.
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Stand By Me (1986) is a drama based on the novella by Stephen King and directed by Rob Reiner about a group of four boys: Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman) and Vern (Jerry O’Connell), who set out on a two day journey to find the body of a missing boy.
Life Lesson: Everyone needs someone to believe in them.
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The War of the Roses (1989) is a drama based on the book by Warren Adler and directed by Danny DeVito about a married couple, Barbara (Kathleen Turner) and Oliver (Michael Douglas) Rose, who going through a bitter divorce enabled by an unscrupulous lawyer, Gavin D’Amato (Danny DeVito), who later has a change of heart.
Life Lesson: Don’t go down the path of pettiness and vindictiveness; it just escalates suffering. Instead, accept your losses and find another way—you’ll be better off.
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Awakenings (1990) is a drama inspired by the true story of neurologist Oliver Wolf Sacks and directed by Penny Marshall about patients affected by the encephalitis lethargica epidemic of 1917-1928 that coincided with the Spanish flu pandemic.
Life Lesson: The simplest things in life bring about meaning, purpose, and happiness.
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Mermaids (1990) is a comedic drama based on the novel by Patty Dann and directed by Richard Benjamin about the family struggles of Charlotte (Winona Ryder), a 15-year-old whose single mother, Mrs. Rachel Flax (Cher), creates a lot of instability by moving the family frequently, 18 times in 15 years, after multiple failed romances.
Life Lesson: Children model what they see. They often learn and copy the behavior, good or bad, of their parents.
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The Joy Luck Club (1993) is a drama based on the book by Amy Tan and directed by Wayne Wang about the lives of four women friends—Suyuan (Kieu Chinh), Lindo (Tsai Chin), Ying-Ying (France Nuyen), An-Mei (Lisa Lu)—and their mothers and daughters.
Life Lesson: When someone loves you, they see the best in you.
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The Secret Garden (1993) is a drama based on the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett and directed by Agnieszka Holland about Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly), an orphaned ten-year-old girl who goes to live at her uncle’s estate, where she meets her sickly cousin, Colin Craven (Heydon Prowse), and finds an overgrown hidden garden, both of which she restores to health.
Life Lesson: Don’t let other people determine what you do with your life.
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Apollo 13 (1995) is a drama directed by Ron Howard, based on the book by Jim Lovell, about the historically significant Apollo 13 NASA flight to the moon by American astronauts Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton), and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon).
Life Lesson: It takes a lot of hard work to make a miracle happen.
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The Bridges of Madison County (1995) is a drama directed by Clint Eastwood, based on the book by Robert James Waller, about a four day love affair between a National Geographic photographer, Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood), and an Iowa housewife, Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep).
Life Lesson: Sometimes you have to accept things as they are,
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Contact (1997) is a drama based on the book by Carl Sagan, and directed by Robert Zemeckis, about Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster), a SETI astronomer who discovers a coded message in a radio signal that has instructions for building a transporter.
Life Lesson: Keep searching—you are not alone.
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High Fidelity (2000) is a comedy directed by Stephen Frears based on the book by Nick Hornby about Rob Gordon (John Cusack), an insecure, immature, and selfish record store owner who looks for answers to his relationship problems by tracking down five previous ex-girlfriends.
Life Lesson: If you want to have a good relationship with someone, then don’t hold back. Give it all you’ve got.
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A Beautiful Mind (2001) is a drama based on the book by Sylvia Nasar and directed by Ron Howard about John Forbes Nash (Russell Crowe), a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical mathematician diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Life Lesson: Learn to tell the difference between what is real and what is only in your mind.
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Catch Me If You Can (2002) is a drama directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the semi-autobiographical book by Frank Abagnale Jr., about a bank fraudster (Leonardo DiCaprio) who impersonates an airline pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer while being chased by an FBIagent, Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks).
Life Lesson: One way to get ahead is to distract your competition through misdirection.
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House of Sand and Fog (2003) is a drama co-written and directed by Vadim Perelman, based on the book by Andre Dubus III, about Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly), a California woman who loses her house because of a mistake by the local government office, and then fights to get it back from the Iranian immigrant family that bought it from the county.
Life Lesson: Everything is temporary.
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Friday Night Lights (2004) is a drama based on the book by H.G. Bissinger and directed by Peter Berg about the 1988 high school football season of The Permian High Panthers from Odessa, Texas.
Life Lesson: If you want to improve your situation, give it all you’ve got and get the job done.
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Fever Pitch (2005) is a comedy directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly and based on the book by Nick Hornby about Ben (Jimmy Fallon), a man obsessed with the Boston Red Sox, who falls in love with non-fan Lindsay (Drew Barrymore) during the 2004 baseball season.
Life Lesson: Make sure that the one you love most can love you back.
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Sydney White (2007) is a comedy loosely based on the story of Snow White and directed by Joe Nussbaum about Sydney White (Amanda Bynes), a freshman in college who tries to join the same sorority her mother belonged to, but instead finds herself targeted by the sorority president, Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton), for getting the attention of a charming fraternity president, Tyler Prince (Matt Long), and winds up with seven social outcasts as roommates.
Life Lesson: If you feel you don’t fit in, get to know other people better—especially other misfits.
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Yes Man (2008) is a comedy directed by Peyton Reed based on the book by Danny Wallace about Carl (Jim Carrey), a curmudgeonly bank loan officer who refrains from meaningfully interacting with other people until he attends a seminar run by Terrence Bundley (Terence Stamp) that teaches him to embrace new opportunities.
Life Lesson: You regret the things you haven’t done, not the things you have done.
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Up in the Air (2009) is a drama co-written and directed by Jason Reitman based on the book by Walter Kirn, about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a man whose lifestyle, which includes constant travel, keeps him isolated from others.
Life Lesson: Live a life that makes it possible for you to find companionship.
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Moneyball (2011) is a drama directed by Bennett Miller, based on the book by Michael Lewis, about Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the Oakland Athletics’ general manager who used statistical analysis to assemble a competitive baseball team on a limited budget.
Life Lesson: “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” —Arthur Schopenhauer
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) is a comedy directed by Ben Stiller, based on a short story by James Thurber, about a man who has vivid daydreams but a non-eventful life, until he decides to go on an adventure.
Life Lesson: “The abc’s of how to live: Be adventurous, brave, creative, devoted—and employed.
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Bonus:
Great Movies Based On Plays:
The Jazz Singer (1927) is a drama directed by Alan Crosland based on the play by Samson Raphaelson about Jakie Rabinowitz (Al Jolson), an entertainer who defies his family’s traditions and their wishes that he pursue a different career.
Life Lesson: “Blood is thicker than water.” —Proverb
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Casablanca (1942) is a drama directed by Michael Curtiz, based on the play, Everybody Comes to Rick’s, about Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), and Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), who search for a way to escape the Nazis in Morocco.
Life Lesson: Sometimes a situation calls for you to be the noble hero.
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Steel Magnolias (1989) is a drama directed by Herbert Ross based on the play by Robert Harling about a group of women friends in Louisiana who gather regularly at Truvy’s (Dolly Parton) beauty parlor: M’Lynn (Sally Field) and her daughter Shelby (Julia Roberts), Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine), Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) and Truvy’s assistant Annelle (Daryl Hannah).
Life Lesson: Life goes on—you can get through all disappointments.
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Marjorie Prime (2017) is a drama written and directed by Michael Almereyda, based on the play by Jordan Harrison, about a family that obtains artificial intelligence holograms to help them cope with the death of loved ones.
Life Lesson: Memory is fragile, but love is felt in the present..
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And A Great Movie Based On A Magazine Article:
Richard Jewell (2019) is a drama directed by Clint Eastwood, based on an article in Vanity Fair magazine by Marie Brenner, about Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser), a security guard who alerted law enforcement about a backpack containing three pipe bombs and helped evacuate the area at the 1996 Summer Olympics Games, thereby saving people’s lives, only to be falsely accused of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing after the FBI leaked their investigation to the media, which led a public humiliation campaign against him.
Life Lesson: Individual rights are threatened when the government and the media work together. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).” —Mark Twain
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While movies blast us with an avalanche of external stimulation, reading can bring us closer to experiencing a quiet meditation: our own imagination. It’s worth the time to expose yourself to the source material first hand and compare it to the resulting movie. Perhaps this will inspire better ways to tell a story, and we’ll all be enriched by it.
For an even longer reading list, please see: Great Fantasy Movies Based On Books
Happy reading!
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Also: "Field of Dreams" (1989) based on the book "Shoeless Joe" by W.P. Kinsella.