Several months back, I saw that an actor I really admire (yes, from Kick-Ass), was going to lead an adaptation of the memoir, A Million Little Pieces. When I think back to the time that the book came out, I remember I thought the cover was really cool, but memoirs aren’t really something I search out to read. I also remember a bunch of controversy surrounding the book, but I couldn’t remember why. Turns out, not all of the memoir was true.
After reading the book, I determined that I don’t really care if not all of it was true. James Frey could tell a damned compelling story. As far as I could tell, at least large parts of it were true. And that means that man lived quite a life in a short 23 years. On the brink of death, he’s brought to a renowned treatment facility where his family begs him to stay and get better. Clearly, a large part of James also wants to live because he does stay. It’s certainly not easy. The most vivid excerpt from the book for me were when he got his teeth fixed with no Novocaine or anesthetics. I shudder at the thought of it.
While at the facility, James goes against all of it’s basic principals, but James says it’s his life and he has to take responsibility for himself. Along the way, he falls in love with another patient names Lily, and befriends his eventual roommate, Miles, and I assume a straight-up gangster, Leonard. Leonard treats James like a son and is always looking out for him. The cadence of the book is one to get used to, but it’s written with such great detail and care that it was easy to get sucked into.
This means, despite poor reviews, I went into the film with some pretty high hopes. I was totally let down. Sure, the film covered some key parts in the book, but it just seemed like so many details that mattered were left out. And really, the cast was amazing (except for the casting of Lily, I didn’t understand that one) – you have Billy Bob Thornton playing Leonard! That should work, but he was underutilized and underwhelming. Even with a two hour run-time, I just found myself thinking as it went on, “maybe this wasn’t meant to be adapted?” I think it ultimately got adapted by the wrong person, is all. Read the book, skip the film.