Today kind of snuck up on me so I have a quicker Tuesday List for all of you. Also, I meant to do this one week’s ago and I forgot. So, you know, really selling this hard.

Anyway, Nick Hornby. Not just a writer of books, but also a writer who has been adapted into film. I like to love most of what he’s written. How do I feel about the movies? FIND OUT NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Filmic Adaptations of Nick Hornby's Works

5.) A Long Way Down- Arguaby (I argued it already in fact!) the weakest of Hornby’s novels, the movie solves it by…truncating the narrative and giving the characters even less depth. Problem solved!

Not really, sadly. Which is a shame because Pierce Brosnan is actually excellently cast as a former morning host disgraced by a sex scandal. Actually, the cast in general is strong. They are just given such underwhelming material and a second act that is pretty empty.

4.) Fever Pitch (American version)- Cute. Sweet. Kind of thin though. A decent romantic comedy overall.

Time has diminished it a bit though as the Red Sox (subbed in for Arsenal here) have left that Curse of the Bambino long in the rearview by now as opposed to just having triumphed over it.

3.) Fever Pitch (British version)- Adapted by Hornby himself! Better than the American version (which is pretty good) but that might be in part owed to a largely unfamiliar cast to this American (thus, free of previous role baggage) and the fact that Arsenal is kind of a singular team. There are no really accurate American analogues.

2.) High Fidelity- As with the novels, this is a push. Probably a more “faithful” adaptation of the book, even as it moves it to Chicago. It borrows dialogue heavily from the text and even manages to embrace the “top 5” device with four-wall breaking discussions to camera. My only real knock on it is the Boss. I love Springsteen, sure, but for some reason him as fantasy guide (ala Kilmer’s Elvis in TRUE ROMANCE) to Cusack’s Rob Gordon completely takes me out of the film.

1.) About a Boy- Is it perfect? Damn near. Hugh Grant has never been better. And I say that as a guy who really actually likes him. He’s just that darn good.

I hired Un Gajje to write one piece about Hornby and he just keeps showing up. (photo from kickass.to) — I hired Un Gajje to write one piece about Hornby and he just keeps showing up. (photo from kickass.to)