Movie Review

I've been wanting to rant about a recent movie release and haven't had an audience who cares. Who better to rant to than cyberspace? Disney recently spent $150 million on the movie version of Berkeley Breathed's charming children's book "Mars Needs Moms". The book is one of my favorites. It is an adorably funny, intensely sweet tale about a boy's journey from thinking of his mom as an over-bearing parental nightmare to seeing her as the person who loves him more than her own life. The ending will bring tears to your eyes, unless your soul is dead. The movie version, which I will admit I have not and will not see, looks awful. The artwork that was so wonderfully Berk Breathed is nowhere to be seen in the movie version. The main character is the wrong age and doesn't look anything like the book version. The storyline has been expanded to make it feature-film length -- but has also taken it very far away from Breathed's story. I was so excited to hear they had turned it into a movie....until I saw the first trailer. I have since decided that because of my great love for the book I simply cannot see the movie. It would be too much of a travesty. But, isn't that so often the case with movie adaptations of favorite books? "Polar Express", "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", "A Day With Wilbur Robinson" and others have been a disappontment, too. My advice? Save yourself some money and don't watch the movie. Go to the bookstore and buy Breathed's book instead. Trust me, you'll love it.