The Lovely Bones

I was unsure how The Lovely Bones would be adapted to film. The plot is perfect for a movie, but portraying certain spiritual/ghostly parts in a movie could be tricky.

The book narrates directly a murder and rape scene for Susie Salmon, a 14 year old freshman. This unconventional coming-of-age story is tender, sad, but beautiful.

Playing Susie Salmon is a young actress whose parents originally (and understandably) did not want her to take the part. Luckily she did. Stanley Tucci, who plays her murderer does a great job playing a creepy pervert, displaying diverse talent from his roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Julie and Julia. His wife also did not want him to take this role.

The acting was on point for these two while other key actors did not get as much screen time to really give their characters life. I thought the CGI effects were also too cheesy and even a little confusing for the movie watcher who doesn't know the book.

The movie however, does successfully communicate the emotions felt in the book, which is the most important idea. While there were a few scenes missing, I believe what was left out was neither imperative nor crucial to the plot.

The loveliest part of watching this was the performances by Saoirse Ronan and Stanley Tucci, who are award bound in my opinion.