I Love You, Beth Cooper (pub. 2007; rel. 2009)

So this blog is for people who see a film and wonder if the book is worth reading.

The movie, I Love You, Beth Cooper presents a bit of a quandary.

The book was written by Larry Doyle, a writer for The Simpsons and other moving pictures. The book is itself a pastiche or homage to 1980s teen movies and -- let's be honest -- is a detailed synopsis for a movie. And of course, the movie was also written by Doyle "based on his book" so really the differences between the two are few and mostly amount to the different media.

In other words, the movie is more visual and the book is more textual. If you like sight gags like guys falling off of roofs or being hit by cars, the movie would be your preference. If you like self-deprecating asides and pop-cultural allusions, the book is better. (I prefer the latter.)

The other big difference is in the casting. I think I knew that Hayden Panettiere was cast as Beth Cooper when I read the book, but she's not who I imagined in my head. The difference in book and movie is evident in the original cover of the book which shows the protagonist with a thought balloon over his head -- i.e., it's about this guy and his thoughts -- versus the movie poster of Panettiere with the guy peeking over her shoulder -- i.e., it's about this girl and the guy who has a crush on her.

Mini-Spoiler! Beth is clearly not the perfect girl that the protagonists imagines her to be at the beginning of the story, but Panettiere is not nearly enough of a crazy bitch (and I write that fondly) to pull off how insane Beth actually is. Which is probably good for her career and for the movie, but let's just say that Beth's personality is a bit more exaggerated in the book which heightens the humor.

Bottom line: If you have a fondness for 1980s teen flicks, then Beth Cooper (in either form) is an amusing way to pass some time. This an extremely close adaptation so choose whichever form you prefer.