Poor Things Book & Movie Review
Walking into the theater, I had no idea Poor Things was based on a book. Walking out of the theater, I decided Bella Baxter was the (current) love of my life. I was thrilled to find that I could continue to my journey with her in Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things. Director Yorgos Lanthimos brought to life a delightfully bizarre book and, though Gray did not live long enough to see his work be adapted, Lanthimos shares memories of the author’s enthusiasm for the work. While there are absolutely some striking differences from the source material, I felt that the entire cast channeled the energy of their characters wonderfully. Emma Stone, as Bella Baxter, deserves her Best Leading Actress Oscar Nomination (though I’m still pulling for Lily Gladstone, sorry Emma!!) and Mark Ruffalo as the ignoble Duncan Wedderburn equally deserves his Best Supporting Actor nomination (not to mention all the other nominations… including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay). If you haven’t engaged with Poor Things in either manner, at least see the movie and decide if you’d like more time with Bella as I did.
If you’ve only read the book: I’m impressed! This is a 1992 book from a Scottish author; you are very well read (or perhaps are like me and are always looking for adaptations!). I recommend seeing this film. The movie’s largest omission is the refutation…
