Book Accuracy

The movie was made to be funnier where the book was darker. Some of the whole trying-to-dispose-of-the-body sequence was hilarious. How he tries to get the body into the car, tries to make it look like the corpse stabbed itself, then lit itself on fire. It made Franklin seem much more awkward as well, which was funny. Some other little changes from the book were Tommy Balls having a girlfriend and having a bigger part (maybe because they got Johnny Knoxville to play him?). The Dr. Mennox book title was different, and there was an added scene where Franklin drives and is attacked.

Characters

Besides Tommy Balls having a bigger role and the addition of his girlfriend (played by the same actress who was Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect), the brother was made to seem a lot stranger. In the movie, he sent nail clippings to Franklin every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, whereas in the book, it was daily letters. Franklin owns a collection of wigs and wears a different one everyday, which didn’t happen in the book. Also, in order to make Franklin appear stranger (if that were possible), his dog talks to him and gives him ideas about what to do with the body.

Plot

The plot was the same—Franklin has the body of his landlord in his apartment and he must get rid of, hopefully while clearing his own name. We learn a lot about Franklin in the process, so it’s also the journey of him taking charge of his life and not just letting things happen to him. The added elements made the plot stronger for the most part and there were a few elements that added intensity, like the accidental missing toe.

Overall Entertainment

Dark, but funny. Almost painfully awkward at times, but Franklin is a very lovable character. Especially at the end, when you find out how the dead body got there, it’s a nice character arc for Franklin. Through all the craziness around him, and perhaps a bit of his own, he learns to really start living his life.

Movie Trailer

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Did you see the movie or read the book? What did you think?