With all this hype over Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (yes, I shamelessly read all 3 books in one weekend - NOT my proudest life moment), names of suggested actors to play Christian Grey have popped up all over the Internet. In this flurry of names, there was one that I did not recognize - Colin Egglesfield. After some fast searching, I discovered he played the role of Dex in the film version of Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I had seen the film awhile ago, but borrowed it from the library to refresh my memory. Oh yes, I thought, that is Christian Grey. I was entertained by the movie, but thought I should read the book, too. So, off to the library I went and two days later I finished reading. Which brings me to the actual purpose of this entry:
I enjoyed the movie MUCH more than I enjoyed the book. This is rare for me because I am almost always disappointed in the movie version of a book. Neither Rachel nor Dex struck me as likable characters in the book. Rachel exhibited low self-worth and extreme neediness to be loved by Dex because she believed he would make her life complete and bring her the happiness she's always wanted, and Dex was an arrogant, spineless jerk that took advantage of Rachel's crush. Darcy was the only character that seemed to be consistent in both the book and the movie: center of attention, completely self-absorbed, and competitive (although, I hate when they cast characters that don't fit the physical description of the book - Darcy had dark hair in the book, just like Dex, and she was supposed to be show-stopping beautiful). I liked how the movie eliminated Hillary's characters because, to be honest, she wasn't very memorable. I wish Emily Giffin had cut Hillary and left Ethan as Rachel's confidante, conscience, and advisor. In the movie Ethan had a wit to him that added an element of humor to the scandalous affair taking place between Rachel and Dex, but he couldn't fulfill this role as a distant party living in London in the book. I am most certainly not a proponent of lying, cheating, and scandalous affairs, so I wouldn't say that I loved the story. However, I think Giffin hit on a topic that is quite prevalent today. I did feel bad for Darcy throughout the affair between Dex and Rachel, until it was revealed that Darcy was also cheating on Dex. I think this was the only redeeming quality of the entire snafu, and it allowed Rachel and Dex to be together without guilt looming over their relationship. As for the friendship between Rachel and Darcy, I didn't really see how they maintained a friendship to that point. Although, that relationship was clearly the reason Rachel had been unable to find happiness - she was constantly doting over, appeasing, and answering Darcy's every beck and call. That relationship really needed to change (in this case, end) in order for Rachel to grow a backbone and live her own life and for Darcy to become more self-reliant instead of relying on Rachel for all of life's decisions.
So, there you have it.
