Slightly Disappointed

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2012)

I finished reading the book, got up from my chair and drove to the theater to see the movie. That was a mistake. It's true, you should never read the book before you see the movie. I liked the book so much more than the movie, and felt a little disappointed. I have to say here that I am a life long resident of the suburbs of Philadelphia and am an Eagles fan, not quite as obsessed a fan as the family in the movie, but I do occasionally wear my Eagles jersey on game day, and they drive me crazy just as they did the family in the movie. I related to the author's story on every level. DeNiro's portrayal of the father was completely opposite to the father in the book, where I felt, Pat, the main character, was longing for his wife's love as well as his father's something the movie just didn't capture. As I read, I kept feeling I just wanted to hug him. Of course, I felt the same way about Bradley Cooper, but for very different reasons....oh, those blue eyes! He probably does deserve an Oscar nomination. The street scenes had an unreal quality about them I didn't like, kind of like the movie was filmed on a movie set. The best scene was the dance contest. I would recommend the film.