The Hotel New Hampshire (DVD, 2001)

Ok, I find myself and others often saying, "it isn't as good as the book". More often than not IT IS true. I am an avid reader and often find myself thinking, "oh NO, not how it was "...or "that's not who should play that character". Bridges of Madison County comes to mind first. OK, Good movie- GREAT BOOK. That being said. I like this movie, I like it a lot. It is NOT the book- but a Good interpretation of Irving's novel. This is NO Cider House Rules, so what. It is charming in it's own way. Rob Lowe leaves a bit to be desired but so does a few of his 80's films, remember Youngblood ?? Whoa, Makes Brooke Shields' performance in Blue Lagoon Oscar worthy. That being said, Rob Lowe is young - that's I guess my point. It is a great story and a FABULOUS glimpse at a YOUNG Jodie Foster, Beau Bridges, Nastassia Kinski-even Wilford Brimley- and a few more, that I can't think of, as I type. Some classic scenes and a few tag lines that seemed to stick with me. Well worth a watch. Not seen by many and read by fewer. Just because I think the book was AMAZING doesn't mean I am going to say the movie was awful, because it wasn't as good as the book- If I started doing that, I would have hundreds to list. Enjoy the movie for what it is- Entertaining- Has a few GREAT scenes that tend to stick with you. Nastassia Kinski's portrayal of "Susie the Bear" alone makes it worth a watch. Hard to imagine that woman having so many problems with her image ,she spends her entire "life" in a bear suit. I say it is definitely a "GOOD". I found it rather endearing as well. It is a Black comedy- but portrayed in a way I found entertaining and interesting. Then again I tend to like movies about "dysfunction" in families. (Makes me feel better about my own!! )

I was disappointed in this movie for many reasons. Minute details of the book were crammed into the movie, which would make the movie very hard to follow if the viewer did not read the book. A lot of Irving's books have strange sexual themes, which sometimes do not translate to the big screen, and "Hotel New Hampshire" is one of those books. While it is one of Irving's best books, and gives a lot of history for each character, the movie left the characters shallow and undeveloped. Too bad, because a wonderful acting job by Jodie Foster was wasted on a phrenetic, nonsensical movie. Rob Lowe's performance (or lack thereof) really hurts the movie, but the adaptation of Irving's novel to the big screen (unlike Cider House Rules) left much to be desired.

The film talks about a family that experiences disasters of all sorts and keeps going. It has a wonderful assortment of oddball characters. Including Rob Lowe, Jodie Foster, Beau Bridges, NatassJa Kinski and more.