The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

I just finished the book the other day and went immediately to the movie. Sadly, I was disappointed. The movie is just kind of ... there. It's slow. Nothing really happens, it just moves from event to event to event through the characters' lives.

It feels like a direct port of the book, for which it suffers. There are parts where the dialogue just does not land properly, at all. It really needed someone to have a better go at the screenplay. Having said that, you can also see where parts from the book have been snipped and shortened, which makes them feel that much more obvious and makes the whole thing feel choppy.

Ultimately it feels like a pet project, like somebody read the book, said "I'll option that", and just put it straight on screen. When people talk about great book-to-movie translations, that's not what they mean.

The performance were all ultimately very good, but I found the first few scenes clumsy and I nearly abandoned it. It improved about 10 minutes in, and I'm glad I stayed with it because it was a nice movie with a tender story. All the leads were solid, but I must say I thought David Arquette was absolutely superb. It's worth watching. The scenery was beautiful, and the running scenes well-shot. I hadn't read the book, so I can't speak to whether it captured the author's tone, but since the author was a producer, is suspect that it was well-adapted. If you're looking for action and a fast pace, this isn't for you. If you enjoy a good story with relatable characters and a somewhat believable scenario, it's a good movie.

Loved this movie. Great characters and a bit of an intricate story. Very sweet and romantic. Loved the book references.

It may look like a hallmark movie but it is so much more. The story twists and turns but ends up all connected making for a satisfying yet bittersweet ending.

Loved seeing Raj from the Big Bang theory in a starring role. He really carried it off.

The scenes of Alice Island were picturesque and very inviting. The Island Books store was also inviting. All in all I would love to visit. The child actors were very good and sometimes had some good lines.

A great way to spend an afternoon or evening.

Really excellent film. Touching, clever, great characters dialog, and especially the acting was superb. A good example of how to do character growth well.

Lucy Hale does a great job in her role, but the performance of the male lead, Kunal Nayyar, really does make the film. I now want to try.to find more movie featuring his acting.

The love story is a lot less contrived than most. It doesn't suffer from the same contrived manufactured drama (problems/conflicts) that so many love stories do. The problems that exist make sense given the characters. It's refreshing since I dislike most romantic comedies based on the way they seem to force problems into the story. As a result, in this film it seems less like the characters are following a script. (In reality of course, there is a script, just a much better and more believable one than the average rom-com script.)

Highly recommended!

Like others, when the film started I assumed yet another Hallmark movie, which could mean anything from utter rubbish to a really good watch.

As it turns out it was a really good watch and despite not thinking much of the first 15 minutes, I soon sank into it and realised I was watching a fabulously crafted film.

All of the actor put in a good effort but the story is one that every one of us can relate to in some way.

Nothing lasts forever except stories. Love comes and goes, renews and dies, just like hate. Good times turn to bad times and vice versa, dreams are sometimes realised and sometimes squashed, and people enter and leave our lives.

But stories always remain.

Absolutely loved this film.