Where'd You Go, Bernadette: Sometimes Books Don't Translate to Screen.
Richard Linklater's adaptation of Maria Semple's 2012 novel Where'd You Go, Bernadette stars Cate Blanchett as the agoraphobic, eccentric former architect. The film strays away from the book's heavy and dark subject matter and paints the story of a woman who is lost and needs to refind her passion for creating. I have read the book and was wondering how the movie was going to portray certain pivotal moments. The movie makes Bernadette's husband Elgie Branch played by Billy Crudup appear more likable when they search for her. A lot of his material from the book is taken out. The movie does an excellent job at showcasing the relationship between Bernadette and her daughter Bee who narrates the movie. I also did enjoy the reveal of Bernadette's backstory that is slowly uncovered in the book but in the movie a video explains it all. The book also handles Bernadette's disappearance differently as a lot of time passes while her daughter pieces the puzzle together through letters sent from the neighbor Audrey while the movie quickly moves along with Elgie and Bee taking a boat to Antarctica and miraculous finding Bernadette easily.
The well-detailed architecture described in the book was brought to life in the film. It made the film feel whimsical and a feel-good movie in contrast to Bernadette's neurotic state. The craftsmen ship put in from the bifocal chain mail to the glass chandelier in the pharmacy was absolutely breathtaking. The set designer nailed Bernadette's environment described in the book so accurately. The opening shot of Bernadette kayaking in Antarctica set the tone for the entire movie and the scenes on the ice were also mesmerizing to look like. Bernadette's handmade furniture and achievements in architect were aesthetically pleasing.
The film moves at a rushed pace, in the beginning, to get through evidence of Bernadette's agoraphobia and anxiety. It begins to slow down around the time the family goes to Antarctica. Bernadette's backstory even felt a little rushed and her sudden friendship with the neighbor Audrey also felt ingenuine. The pace could represent the neurotic, fast-paced Blanchett as even her rant about Seattle felt misplaced. The film satisfies its job as a heart-warming mother-daughter adventure and there is real chemistry between Blanchett and her onscreen daughter especially in the car ride scenes. Crudup's Elgie also excels in playing the absent father like him and his onscreen daughter's relationship is evidently not as strong especially when Bernadette is gone. Characters that had more story and time in the book were pushed back and given limited material to work with.
When reading the book I could tell that this was not going to be an easy one to adapt to a movie. This explains why the film was pushed back for sometime before it made its way to the big screen. The book presents the story through emails and letters and almost like a book of information that is not in order. Linklater didn't follow this instead he reordered everything to create a cohesive timeline audience could easily follow. He never lets Bernadette actually disappear. This makes the film lose its mystery that the book heavily emphasizes through Bee putting all the pieces together leading to her finding her mom. The film greatly improves once we reach Antarctica and lets people see Bernadette's gift as she greatly calms down from her neurotic state. Elgie is definitely more likable in the film.
Overall, if you did not read the book then you may like this film more. Blanchett brings her stellar self to the film but can not save it. It's a good summer watch as it is mindless, light-hearted entertainment. I strongly recommend reading the book and imagining it in your head.