Entertainment
The 8 Most Fun Movies Based on Books, Ranked
Believe it or not, kids, but reading can be fun. In fact, it was considered the most fun form of entertainment…before TV came around to rot our brains. Nevertheless, when certain novels are adapted into films, the ensuing result can be magical, to say the least. All the images, characters, and locations conjured up in one’s mind suddenly become 3-dimensional, and for the truly fun films out there, these visual and auditory delights become seared into the viewer’s mind, sometimes for life.
Here are the most fun movies that were created from literary source material. Some of these films stay very close to the plot of the novel they were born from, while others take a more liberal path in telling the same basic story. Either way, all the page-turners turned into moving pictures listed here are engaging, riveting, and most importantly, as fun as a barrel of literate (flying) monkeys.
8
‘Hidden Figures’ (2016)
While the novel and film both deal with some truly heavy themes of racial and gender inequity, the indomitable spirit of both of these works of art is so inspiring that the film version is a pure joy to watch. The novel by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, details the true account of how a group of female African American mathematicians were the driving force behind NASA’s space program (from the times of World War II to the Space Race era).
Director Theodore Melfi obviously took quite a few liberties with the literary material in turning this into an incredibly vibrant, poignant, and thoroughly uplifting film. The perfectly cast trio, Taraji P. Henson (as Katherine G. Johnson), Octavia Spencer (as Dorothy Vaughan), and Janelle Monáe (as Mary Jackson), all delivered rousing performances. Hidden Figures was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 2016, and it’s no secret why; the story is moving, the true-life topic is amazing, the soundtrack features fun tracks produced by Pharrell Williams, and the actors give it their heartfelt all.
7
‘Matilda’ (1996)
Turning a kid’s book into a film can be challenging. How does one capture the whimsy and innocent charm of a children’s tale and bring it to life on the big screen (without, y’know, being cloying/annoying)? Director (and comedy legend) Danny DeVito certainly found the right formula with his depiction of the 1988 children’s novel Matilda, written by Roald Dahl.
The story is a fun one from the onset. Matilda is a precocious little girl blessed with the powers of telekinesis. Unfortunately, she’s cursed with a dreadful family and forced to interact with a litany of irksome grown-ups (DeVito also stars, alongside his real-life wife Rhea Perlman). Fortunately, for audiences, Matilda uses her crafty powers with ingenuity, as she exacts fitting revenge on all the adults who have wronged her. It’s a mischievously fun concept, and the titular character, played by Mara Wilson, is a delight to watch — for kids and adults alike.
6
‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (2003)
The source material for this film is really what makes the final cinematic product so satisfyingly fun. The author of the novel (of the same name, The Devil Wears Prada), Lauren Weisberger, penned a fictional story…that was largely based on her own harrowing experiences in the fashion world; working at Vogue magazine. Here she received tutelage and terrors from the famed “dragon lady” herself, Anna Wintour. The book is a great beach read, filled with caustic, wry commentary on the cut-throat fashion business. Director David Frankel’s film captures as much of that milieu as possible, and is bolstered by some truly dynamic performances.
Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a fresh-faced college grad, ready to make her mark on the world of journalism. She gets a gig as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep, with one of her most striking, bedeviled performances), the editor of one of the most influential fashion mags of all time. Andy endures countless personal attacks and HR-nightmare jabs as she struggles to keep her head above water. A great supporting cast rounds this film out too, with Stanley Tucci (as Nigel) and Emily Blunt (in the part of Emily) delivering the goods (and even Gisele Bündchen was enjoyable in this, as Gisele, er, “Serena”). All in all, a devilishly good time (with a wickedly received sequel).
5
‘The Da Vinci Code’ (2003)
Naysayers can critique this movie all they want, but the simple truth is that Dan Brown scribed a highly digestible, perfectly-paced page-turner of a mystery, and Ron Howard turned it into an exhilaratingly fun film. While the Catholic Church may not have found the film to be all that “fun,” viewers the world over consumed it with guilty-pleasure glee.
The plot of the film stays pretty true to the one in the book. The curator of the Louvre is shot within the famed Parisian museum, but before he dies he’s able to configure his body in the shape of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, and leave behind some invisible ink clues. Harvard professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks, having an absolute blast with this role, with some wacky long hair, to boot) is called in to help unravel the mystery, along with a forensic cryptologist, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou, captivating for all the right reasons). Just like in the book, the audience is invigoratingly invited along to help solve the arty-religious case, and it’s a wild roller-coaster thrill ride the entire run-time.
4
‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)
One of the most iconic films in the fantasy realm has certainly stood the test of time (aided in small part by the use of “technicolor,” as it was the first big movie to utilize this brand of cutting-edge, colorful tech). The novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum, and was already a classic “children’s” story (even with its decidedly adult and frightening themes…and witches). When the director trio of Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and Norman Taurog released the film version, The Wizard of Oz, in 1939, audiences were wowed and floored by how downright entertaining the tale was displayed on the silver screen.
The plot is a wild one, full of archetypical characters and thrillingly unique motifs. Dorothy (the songbird Judy Garland, in her career-defining role — that would inspire one billion Halloween costumes), is a simple girl living in Kansas. When a tornado whips her into another dimension, the infamous Land of Oz, she meets a host of kooky characters, and forms an alliance with a cadre of curious creatures all seeking something specific (if only some people could be as self-aware as the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger)…as he knew he was brainless). The original novel spawned countless sequels and reimaginings, like the 70s version The Wiz, and the current Wicked franchise. Simply put, is there anything more fun than flying monkeys?
3
‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (1961)
Truman Capote is one of the most famed authors in American literary history, with his expansive novels spanning a range of topics (he wrote the first true crime novel with In Cold Blood). While his 1958 novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s was obviously much lighter in tone, it still covered some cerebrally dark territory. The brilliance of the film adaptation, directed by Blake Edwards, was that it eschewed the sometimes melancholic timbre of the book and elevated the tale by focusing on the light-hearted romantic comedy elements that have since become some of cinema’s most amusing.
The story is about a zesty Manhattan socialite, effervescently named Holly Golightly (portrayed by Audrey Hepburn, in arguably her most notable, remarkable role — and definitely her most fashionable one). Holly meets a struggling writer, Paul Varjak (George Peppard), and the two strike up an unlikely “friendship.” The foibles they encounter within each other, all while trying to navigate “high society,” lend to an incredibly charming (and style-defining) flick all around. In the book, Holly and Paul don’t end up together, but, naturally, in the film they find quirky love.
2
‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)
The 80s were loaded with rom-coms that made an indelible mark on the history of cinema (When Harry Met Sally, Say Anything, Moonstruck), but none may have been as simultaneously heartwarming, humorous, and inventive as director Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride. Based on the 1973 novel, wait for it, The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, The “Good Parts” Version, by William Goldman, this classic story is so packed with endearing (and insanely quotable) elements it’s impossible to properly highlight them all.
The whimsical, somewhat mythical tale follows Westley (the dashing Cary Elwes), a farmhand, on his epic quest to find his one true love, Princess Buttercup (the dewy yet fiery Robin Wright). Basically, everyone he meets on his journey is equal parts hilarious and enchanting, with their own idiosyncratic characteristics that help to make this movie truly unforgettable. Cameos by Billy Crystal and Carol Kane are hysterical, and even Andre the Giant is lovable and poignant in his delivery. In an adorable nod to the book, the film is framed by a grandpa (Peter Falk, at his avuncular best) reading the “story” to his grandkid (Fred Savage, never cuter). From the enduring speech by Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) to the Rodents of Unusual Size, this movie is fun on all fantastical fronts.
1
‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
In contention for one of the most fun movies ever, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park takes everything in the Michael Crichton sci-fi novel of the same name and brings it to vital, T. Rex-chomping life. While Crichton is known for his thought-provoking, and sometimes intensely dark, science-based books (several of which have been made into films), Jurassic Park is pure fun from frame one.
The immediately engaging story is about a small team of scientists who are brought to a theme park island to do some “quality control.” The scientists in question are paleontologists (and one chaos theory-specializing mathematician), as the prime exhibits on this island feature real-live dinosaurs. Just this premise alone is fun for literally all ages. With Sam Neill (as Grant), Laura Dern (as Ellie) and Jeff Goldblum (Malcolm) all delivering stellar lead performances, and Wayne Knight (in the role of Nedry) and Samuel L. Jackson (as Arnold) providing comedic relief, and the collection of dinos (as themselves) all giving the best animatronic performances ever, this is surely the most, hands-(and tails)-down, fun adaptation of any literary work, ever.
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