What's your pick? Sex & the City or Exhale

unspokenone25 · #1 06-01-2008, 10:55 AM

Well, I had one of those mothers that didn't censor me from certain books and movies. So when the Waiting to Exhale book came out when I was 11, my mom let me read it. I'm a purist. I remember when the movie came out in high school, I was one of the first people to see it. I HATED the movie because it wasn't true to the book. The only good part of that movie was Bernadette (Angela Bassett) burning up her husband's clothes. We all know Angela played the HAYLE out that part. So...

SATC ALL THE WAY! It represented SATC very well and in my opinion, was better. I did hate Jennifer Hudson's role in the movie but that's a whole 'nother conversation.

When it comes to the emotions of the heart, every woman (despite their color) has experienced joy and pain. I know a lot of black women wouldn't watch SATC because it wasn't realistic (i.e., there was an insufficient portrayal of black women on the show). I still watched because a lot of experiences that I and my friends had were portrayed with a sense of realism on SATC (and Girlfriends

).

DSTCHAOS · #2 06-01-2008, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unspokenone25

I did hate Jennifer Hudson's role in the movie but that's a whole 'nother conversation.

Everyone's saying this and I AGREE 100%!!!!

Here's why she annoyed me:

1. I kept seeing Effie in updated clothes
2. The "sistagurl thing" is so misplaced on a show/movie where sistagurls have NEVER had a part (or I can't remember ever seeing black women on the series)
3. The rented designer bags thing was...stupid....
4. Not sure that the role was a necessary distraction from the 4 friends.

Good point:
1. ...but the rented bag thing did fit in at the end. And JHud's character did deliver a message to Carrie.

jitterbug13 · #3 06-01-2008, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unspokenone25

Well, I had one of those mothers that didn't censor me from certain books and movies. So when the Waiting to Exhale book came out when I was 11, my mom let me read it. I'm a purist. I remember when the movie came out in high school, I was one of the first people to see it. I HATED the movie because it wasn't true to the book. The only good part of that movie was Bernadette (Angela Bassett) burning up her husband's clothes. We all know Angela played the HAYLE out that part.

Unspokenone, we are so >>>here<<<, even though I'm not a big SATC watcher/fan. I was in late middle school/early high school when I read Waiting to Exhale and I read it again before the movie came out (I was a junior in HS by then). I hated the movie and still do. This is a perfect example of how you turn a good book into a bad movie. At least the soundtrack was good.

Proverbs31 · #4 06-01-2008, 12:43 PM

Hmmm. I enjoyed Waiting to Exhale, but my vote goes to SATC. Don't really have a reason, it's just better.

christiangirl · #5 06-01-2008, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

I kept seeing Effie in updated clothes

----------------------------->here<-----------------------------

RedefinedDiva · #6 06-01-2008, 06:55 PM

I would have to agree 1908% with D (Soror Unspokenone).

SATC stayed true to form. There were no unnecessary expectations and everyone stayed true to character. It was the perfect follow-up to the series. Now, Waiting To Exhale was NOTHING like the book and I felt like I was left hanging the whole time. Don't get me wrong: I loved Waiting to Exhale. However, it was more than a tad bit unrealistic. It down right ridiculous at times. Maybe if I hadn't read the book beforehand, Waiting to Exhale might have been a better movie.

I also agree with Jennifer Hudson being a fish out of water in this movie. She didn't really bring (much) value to the storyline. I really could have done without her. Additionally, I don't find her to be a great actress. I think she needs a few more roles to work on her craft.

ladygreek · #7 06-01-2008, 09:30 PM

I think it is unfair to compare WTE with the book and SATC with the TV series and then say the latter was better.

Movies seldom stay completely true to the book, plus readers have also formed their own images of characters, etc. This can lead to disappointment in the movie.

SATC the series already had created the images for the movie so everyone knew what to expect.

As someone who didn't watch the series (yeah I went today as a compromise with mini-me who went to see Indiana Jones with me last week) I thought SATC was a well-done, entertaining movie and saw nothing wrong with the JHud role. However, I personally still relate better to WTE.

RedefinedDiva · #8 06-01-2008, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Movies seldom stay completely true to the book, plus readers have also formed their own images of characters, etc. This can lead to disappointment in the movie.

This is true. I think that's what happened to a lot of us. That's why I stated that I should have seen the movie before reading the book. I was all set to see most of the stuff that I read and was HIGHLY disappointed when I didn't.

I think I need to have a WTE/SATC movie comparison night once SATC comes to DVD. LOL!

unspokenone25 · #9 06-02-2008, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladygreek

I think it is unfair to compare WTE with the book and SATC with the TV series and then say the latter was better.

Movies seldom stay completely true to the book, plus readers have also formed their own images of characters, etc. This can lead to disappointment in the movie.

LG, that's a good point. However, I thought that How Stella Got Her Groove Back was a good movie and it was closer to the book than WTE. I just think that WTE went far, far away from the book. That combined with horrible acting from Lela Rochon (Fuqua) and Whitney "CrackisWack" Houston made it a "HATED IT" movie for me.