There are a lot of movies based on books. There are very few good movies based on books.
It’s no secret Hollywood likes to get its ideas elsewhere, and the book-to-movie pipeline has always been robust. With that said, while a select few movies elevate their source material, plenty just don’t live up to the hype, failing to capture what made the book engaging or else being so dutiful you feel like you’re reading, not watching. There are, though, a good amount of movies that make a case for their own existence, using most but not all of a book to create something that stands on its own.
Some, like the 2019 movie adaptation of Little Women, play with the story or add in new scenes to appeal to a modern audience. Others benefit from multimedia: Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, for example, comes with an engaging soundtrack that elevates the romance onscreen.
Whether you’re cheating at book club or just eager to see how a director interpreted your favorite character, below you’ll find a list of the best movies based on books available for streaming right now. We also included the real-life novels that inspired them so you can add to your reading list. (Need more? We’ve also got a guide to the best movies based on romance novels.)
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