Terrible adaptation of an otherwise great book

Rating: 2/10 (16 March 2013)

I enjoyed the book so very much and I was looking forward to the movie, but what a disappointment it was.
The following three basic and story building facts from the book, were just blown in the first ten minutes of the movie:

The silent father who doesn't want to talk to his son Pat, - The really mentally sick Pat who has lost his memory and can't remember he was 4 years in the hospital and only wants to meet Nikki and put and end to what he calls "apart time" - The crazy Tiffany who, due to a terrible performance by the otherwise lovely Jennifer Lawrence, was not crazy at all

Cooper's performance was horrible, he didn't act like the mentally ill person that is presented in the book. He just did the same flat acting he did in the hangover. A thirty something guy, funny, and cool but far from the Pat that is shown in the book. Cooper doesn't have the faintest idea how to play a mentally ill person, with the horrible trauma that Pat had when he found his wife in the tube with another guy.
When pat and tiffany go to dinner they are not supposed to talk (both are traumatized people under the treatment of psychiatric drugs) but in the movie they talk a lot, like a normal couple do.
Not even the eagles chant, that is mentioned so many times in the book and that works for Pat to exteriorize his feelings and to break the ice between him and his therapist and between him and his Father, is done properly in the movie.
The Victoria secret story, for which Tiffany blames herself for the death of her husband, was twisted and made sound simple, and it was not told at the end but somewhere in the middle of the movie.
The dancing part also lost all the magic presented in the book, because the touching between Pat and Tiffany while dancing helps both of them to recover. Laurence just can't dance. She is so bad at it that they had to include Danny in the dancing bit to give it some sense.
The part about the stadium is important in the book because it being demolished means that Pat has been in hospital for 4 years and when he doesn't see the stadium he knows is when he realizes he wasn't in the hospital a few months but 4 years
How come Tiffany involves everyone in the lie about the letters sent to Nikki? This was supposed to be a secret between her and Pat, it was her way of helping him. This twisted the whole story.
And what about Nikki being in the dance room? The whole point of the book was that Nikki was an obsession of Pat and it was clear she had a new life and never wanted to see pat again.
Off course the ending couldn't be worse than the rest of the movie, and the writer or director had to end it with an "I love you". When or how did Pat fall in love with Tiffany?? he was too busy obsessing about Nikki to pay any attention to Tiffany.
The books ending is so much better. Much better because NOTHING happens between Pat and Tiffany and that is OK for both of them, they need each other like friends do! not like lovers.
Sorry If i haven't already spoiled the book and the movie too much, read the book but don't waste your time with the movie.
Oscar