Lifetime's Flowers in the Attic

So who watched the remake and what did you think?

Personally, I loved it and don't understand all of the hate it's getting! People wanted a movie that was closer to the book and hey, we got it! (When it opened with the prologue from the book, I literally squealed out loud.) Sure, some of the acting wasn't all that great and the swan bed was a major letdown (I've accepted that I will never see a swan bed or Foxworth Hall that will up to my imagination's view) but ultimately, there was so much win here.

I love Ellen Burstyn's portrayal of the grandmother and how they (obviously) added some nuances to the character that were lifted from Garden of Shadows. I thought the young actress who played Cathy was brilliant and shows great promise, and Heather Graham was a great Corrine. I forget where I read this, but someone said she acts JUST like a spoiled teenage brat... which is turning into! So it's perfect.

Corey and Carrie were perfect, in my opinion, and I found the bond between the four "siblings" to be very believable. (There's an interview with the actor who played Chris where he states that he and the other three had play dates to help form a bond. Aww!) I adored the casting of Carrie in particular. She looked just like I'd always imagined and had as loud a voice too!

In fact, the only slight quibble I would have with this movie is how short it was. I've always thought this book (well, any of VC's books) would work much better in miniseries form, and I still agree with that. (Corey's death and Carrie's reaction to it needed more screen time, dang it! But it was nice to see even the brief scene of Cathy trying to talk to Carrie and being tuned out.)

Also, who the heck decided John Amos was nice in this version? Have they read the series? (LOL seriously minor quibble though.)

And last but not least... the incest scenes were tastefully done. (Although it was creepy when Carrie ran in on them in bed together to tell them Corey was sick.) My favorite scene from the book that was in the movie was probably when Corrine refuses to act for Corey and Cathy slaps her. Yes! I was so hoping that would be included and I got it!

Honestly, most of the bad reviews for this I've seen were about how "wrong" things were compared to the book. But really, the two are astonishingly alike considering how much usually needs to be changed for a book-to-film adaptation. We got a heck of a lot more scenes from the books (Olivia bringing them flowers for their garden YES), much better acting and a better script, and we got an ending that actually (somewhat) matches the book's and paves the ways for Petals (already promised).

So seriously--quit being so nitpicky if all you hate is that they changed stuff from the book.   

All in all though, I gave this an 8/10 on IMDB and I'd prefer to give it 8.5 if they had the option. The rush of Corey's death and not getting to see much grieving really hurt the flow of the movie for me or else it'd probably get a 9.5.