Of Mice and Men (1992)

(Movie Review)

Why I Saw This Movie: I was assigned to teach the novel Of Mice and Men to an advanced English class, and after we finished reading the novel we watched the movie together.

My History With the Novel: I first encountered the novel when my 10th grade English teacher read it aloud to us.  Since then, I have taught the novel (or the Graded Reader Version) 3 times to ESL classes.

My History With the Movie: I’ve managed to avoid seeing this movie until now, but of course I’ve been aware of it for years from various pop culture references, such as the various winks and nods to John Malkovich’s role in this movie in Being John Malkovich. 

The Review

          Very faithful to the book, and very well done for what it is.  This is probably the best adaptation of Steinbeck’s novel we can hope for. 

            But unfortunately, some novels don’t successfully transfer onto the screen, and this is probably one of them.  Characters who seem so lifelike and real in the book just come across as flat and boring on the screen.

Other Things I’d Talk About If I Wasn’t Limiting Myself to 100 Words

* At some point, the discussion should be had about what makes a successful novel, and what makes a successful movie, and why some unforgettable novels make for some very forgettable movies—but someone smarter than me will probably have to tackle that question.

Rating :

5 out of 10 Stars.  (It’s not a great movie as a movie, but it’s the best adaptation of the novel that we could have hoped for, and it’s competently done, so it gets at least a 5.)

Link of the Day

Noam Chomsky on Wikileaks