From the page to the screen! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 20 Book to Movie Adaptations of the Century (So Far). For this list, we’ll be looking at our favorite movies that were based on books released between 2000 and today.
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00:00 "Once I make my move, the Queen will take me."
00:03 "Then you're free to check the King."
00:07 "No. Ron, no!"
00:09 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 book-to-movie adaptations of the century so far.
00:16 For this list, we'll be looking at our favorite movies that were based on books released between 2000 and today.
00:23 "So, what happens now?"
00:29 "They arrive."
00:31 When this teen rom-com hit Netflix, it may not have come with high expectations,
00:40 but it ended up being a runaway hit for the streaming service, spawning two sequels.
00:44 "First things first, we need to have a contract so we're on the same page about the rules."
00:49 "Guy rules? Come on, you really know how to zap the fun out of a situation."
00:54 "Well, it's important to know where you stand on certain issues."
00:58 Based on a YA book by author Jenny Han, To All the Boys I've Loved Before largely follows the same story points.
01:05 The book is actually part of a trilogy, the remainder of which serve as source material for the sequel films.
01:11 While we're usually the first ones to extol the benefits of a book over a film, this is perhaps one of the exceptions.
01:18 The producers used a stylized aesthetic and dreamy soundtrack to add something to Lara Jean's story that wasn't present in the novel.
01:26 "All by yourself out here?"
01:29 "So what? Now you're ignoring me?"
01:34 It might not be easy to get preteens to read, but this novel still managed to be a sensation when it was released in 1998.
01:44 "Smart! Oh yeah? Hey Zero, what does C-A-T spell? Huh? What's it spell?"
01:55 "Yeah, he's a real genius."
01:57 Considering the accolades that Holes received, it was no surprise when it was given the big screen treatment a few years later.
02:04 The book's author Louis Sacker actually penned the screenplay for the film, so this is about as faithful of an adaptation as fans could possibly hope for.
02:13 The movie successfully captures the atmosphere that Sacker created in the novel,
02:17 and it ended up being a major career stepping stone for a young Shia LaBeouf who acted in the lead role.
02:23 "Man, you did not steal no Clyde Livingston's Sweet Feet shoes."
02:26 "It was World Series cleats."
02:28 "Hold on, hold on, hold on. How did you get 'em? He's like the fastest guy in the majors, right?"
02:31 "Only got hit four triples in one game."
02:34 "Clyde Livingston donated his shoes to this, uh, this homeless shelter."
02:39 "Did they have red X's on 'em?"
02:46 Another story in the YA genre that was a huge hit in the early 2000s,
02:51 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants tells the story of four friends who find a pair of second-hand jeans
02:56 that somehow fit all of them despite their different body types.
03:00 "Ta-da!"
03:01 "Tibby, you're a babe!"
03:03 "Tibby, you look amazing! Turn around!"
03:06 "You look wonderful!"
03:08 "You look good!"
03:10 "They look great on you. Please buy them."
03:12 They use the pants to bind them together even when they're apart,
03:16 and each character goes on a very different adventure.
03:19 For the movie, they assembled a seriously all-star cast featuring Amber Tamblyn,
03:23 Alexis Boudel, America Ferreira, and Blake Lively in the primary roles.
03:28 The four young actresses all nailed their parts,
03:31 and now it's hard to separate the characters from those performances.
03:35 "I just, I just got 'em back from Lena."
03:38 "The one in Greece?"
03:40 "Yeah, um, she said that we were right all along that they really are magic, and...
03:46 I don't know the details, but I do know Lena, and for her to say that means that, um...
03:52 that it must be true."
03:54 Number 17. Room.
03:56 When the book Room was released in 2010, it ended up on many best-of-the-year lists
04:01 and was a book club favorite for years to follow.
04:04 "Four, five, one, two, three, four, five. There you are."
04:10 "Thank you, Mom. Thanks, Mom. Yeah, I'm excited for that. I love you."
04:16 "Okay, J.B.R."
04:18 So it's no surprise that a film adaptation was made,
04:22 and considering the extremely confined setting of the novel,
04:25 one in which a woman and her son are being held against their will in a single room for years,
04:30 it wasn't an easy one to pull off.
04:32 But the movie, starring Brie Larson, was an undeniable success,
04:36 earning four Academy Award nominations and a win for Larson for Best Actress.
04:41 "I'll get him some tomorrow night."
04:43 "Don't, Keaton. You need to take him to the ER right now."
04:45 "Stop it, Claire." "We can't wait until tomorrow night. Please, I'm begging you!"
04:48 Number 16. Silver Linings Playbook.
04:52 Often, movie adaptations are only made when a book is such a massive financial and critical hit
04:58 that producers know they'll have a loyal audience going to see it.
05:01 "I don't want to need meds, Doctor. I'm sorry. Look, I am not the explosion guy, okay?"
05:05 [Sighs]
05:07 "My father is the explosion guy. I'm not that guy.
05:11 He got kicked out of that stadium, he beat up so many people at Eagles games, he's on the exclusion list."
05:15 But the novel The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick flew under the radar when it was released in 2008.
05:21 Nevertheless, David O. Russell took this story and turned it into something really special,
05:26 deftly navigating the difficult subject matter of mental health.
05:29 Portrayals of characters suffering from afflictions like depression and bipolar disorder
05:33 haven't always been handled with sensitivity,
05:36 but Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence's performances were something to behold,
05:40 making this movie an award show darling.
05:43 "Always reaching out in vain, just taking the things not worth having,
05:51 but don't you worry 'bout a thing."
05:53 Number 15. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
05:57 Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was not only Jesse Andrews' first novel,
06:01 but also became his first ever screenplay.
06:04 "So you and Greg are co-workers?"
06:06 "Nah, we friends. He just hate calling people his friend. He's got issues."
06:10 "Yeah, he does. What's going on?"
06:13 "Man, I don't even know."
06:14 In fact, when he was tapped to create the script, he had not only never written one,
06:18 he hadn't even read one.
06:20 And yet, he succeeded in fitting his novel story into the confines of a movie's constraints.
06:26 Based on the title alone, you knew this story was going to be a sad one.
06:30 And we're honestly torn about whether the book or the movie has a more devastating ending.
06:35 Considering the fact that filmmaking is a major theme in the story,
06:38 being able to see the film that Greg made really added to the experience.
06:43 "Um, before we watch this, I'm sorry it took so long to make,
06:47 but the reason is, just couldn't figure out how to get it to not suck.
06:53 But, never really did figure it out. It still sucks."
06:58 Number 14. The Spectacular Now.
07:01 Another book that didn't make waves when it was released was Tim Tharp's book The Spectacular Now,
07:06 released in 2008.
07:08 "Ooh, can I try that?"
07:09 "What, this?"
07:10 "Yeah."
07:11 "I know, this is some pretty serious stuff."
07:12 "Taste."
07:13 "You sure?"
07:14 "Yes."
07:15 "Alright, yeah. There you go. Go for it. It's pretty strong."
07:20 "Oh my God."
07:21 "Yeah."
07:22 "Ew!"
07:23 But clearly, the producers saw something in The Quiet Book about two teens falling in love
07:27 while one deals with alcohol use disorder.
07:30 Teen love stories can be overly cheesy or sentimental,
07:33 but the frank treatment of these characters and their development was handled flawlessly.
07:38 "My name is Cedric Keighley and I'm 18 years old.
07:41 Compared to other kids, I haven't had that many hardships.
07:45 Not really. You know, shit's happened.
07:48 Stuff has happened, sure. But stuff always happens, right?"
07:53 This movie was far from a blockbuster hit, making a mere $7 million against a $2.5 million budget,
08:00 but it's widely considered to be an underrated entry into the overpopulated YA genre.
08:06 #13 The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
08:11 So far, all of the adaptations on this list have been of works that were recent releases at the time.
08:16 "If you don't mind my asking, what are you?"
08:21 "Well, I'm a... I'm a thorn."
08:24 But in 2005, an attempt was made to turn a classic and beloved work of children's literature into a modern film.
08:31 That's when The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was released,
08:34 a mere 55 years after it was first published.
08:37 Granted, C.S. Lewis's fantasy series had been seen on screen before,
08:41 but never in such a high-budget way.
08:44 The filmmakers managed to translate the decades-old story and make it feel fresh,
08:48 all while preserving the magic that made generations of children and adults alike love it.
08:54 "Edmund, I would very much like to meet the rest of your family."
09:00 "Why? They're nothing special."
09:04 #12 Love, Simon Becky Albertalli's book, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,
09:10 was a favorite among the YA community in 2015,
09:13 being praised for its treatment of a teenage boy's coming-out story.
09:17 "Hey! Morning! It's Simon! I live right here! I like your boots!"
09:28 "Goodbye!"
09:30 The filmmakers scrapped the wordy title and dubbed the film Love, Simon,
09:34 but kept all of the elements of Albertalli's novel that fans loved so much.
09:39 Doing so, it became the first movie made by a major studio to focus on a queer teenage love story,
09:44 and soon the film eclipsed the popularity of the book,
09:47 gaining a whole new fanbase who wanted to ship Simon in blue.
09:51 "I didn't think you'd come."
09:53 "Me neither. Until I was walking towards you, I didn't think I had it in me."
09:58 #11 Brokeback Mountain
10:08 While most of the movies on our list were based on novels,
10:11 this one was crafted with a short story as its inspiration.
10:15 "Got a coyote up there. It's a big son of a bitch.
10:20 Balls on him, size of apples.
10:23 He look like he could eat himself a camel.
10:26 You want some of this hot water?"
10:29 Because of the short length,
10:31 director Ang Lee was able to fully flesh out the characters that author Annie Pru created.
10:36 She said, "I may be the first writer in America
10:39 to have a piece of writing make its way to the screen whole and entire."
10:43 Lee certainly succeeded in this adaptation
10:46 of an unconventional love story between two sheep herders in 1960s Wyoming,
10:51 which went on to be nominated for eight Academy Awards,
10:54 ultimately winning three, including Best Adapted Screenplay.
10:59 "You are too much for me, Annie.
11:01 You son of a horse bitch.
11:06 I wish I knew how to quit you."
11:09 Number 10. The Notebook
11:11 Oh, Nicholas Sparks, you sure know how to write a tearjerker.
11:15 Not only did he create the devastating teen romance told in 2002's A Walk to Remember,
11:20 but he was also the man behind the sensation that was The Notebook.
11:24 "Wanna go out with me?"
11:26 "What? No!"
11:28 "No?" "No!"
11:30 "No." "Hey, Pat, she just told you."
11:33 "Why not?" "I don't know, because I don't want to."
11:35 This was another instance of a movie far exceeding the popularity of the book,
11:39 with this film becoming one of the top romance movies of our generation.
11:44 "You're different."
11:46 "What do you mean?"
11:49 "Just the way you look. Everything."
11:52 "You look different too, but in a good way."
11:56 The undeniable chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
12:01 brought the story to life in a way that just wasn't possible on the page.
12:06 Number 9. Crazy Rich Asians
12:09 Kevin Kwan's novel Crazy Rich Asians was successful in its own right,
12:13 but when it was adapted into a 2018 film,
12:16 it became the highest-grossing romantic comedy to be produced in ten years.
12:21 "Sorry about that." "I saved you a piece."
12:23 "You did, did you? A very small piece of that. Thank you very much."
12:28 "How's your mom? Everything okay?" "Couldn't be better."
12:32 There had been a bit of a slump when it came to good old-fashioned, light-hearted romance movies,
12:37 but Crazy Rich Asians seemingly managed to revive the genre
12:40 by giving viewers an unfamiliar setting
12:43 and upping the diversity of the cast by using mostly actors of Asian descent in the primary roles.
12:48 "You asked me here. I assume it's not for a mahjong lesson."
12:53 "Home."
12:58 "My mother taught me too."
13:02 The story may follow a familiar arc, but we're not complaining.
13:06 Number 8. Gone Girl
13:08 Back in 2012, it seemed like everyone was talking about Gillian Flynn's unconventional thriller Gone Girl,
13:14 debating its use of the unreliable narrator and its unexpected twists and turns.
13:20 "Nick and Amy will be gone, but then we never really existed.
13:24 Nick loved a girl I was pretending to be. Cool girl.
13:29 Men always use that, don't they, as their defining compliment.
13:33 She's a cool girl."
13:35 It was perfectly primed to get the Hollywood treatment,
13:38 though as always, fans were worried a movie might not do the story justice.
13:42 But if anything, the movie even added to the drama and suspense of the novel,
13:46 totally nailing the vibe of uncertainty as Nick tries to prove to the world
13:50 and the reader that he had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance.
13:54 "So you got to the bar around 11 today. Where were you before that, just to cross that off?"
13:59 "Well, I was home. I left at 9.30, got a cup of coffee, newspaper, went to Sawyer Beach and read the news."
14:04 "Did you visit with anyone there?"
14:06 "Well, I mean, I kind of go to Sawyer Beach for the solitude."
14:08 Number 7. The Fault in Our Stars
14:11 John Green is basically the next generation's Nicholas Sparks.
14:15 "Okay?"
14:17 "Okay."
14:19 [Ding]
14:20 "Whoa."
14:29 [Laughter]
14:31 "That is amazing."
14:32 He wrote Paper Towns, which was adapted into a 2015 movie starring Cara Delevingne,
14:38 but more notably, he was also the man behind 2014's hit The Fault in Our Stars.
14:43 This small budget film ended up being a YA sensation,
14:47 costing over $300 million at the box office.
14:50 The tale about two teens dealing with cancer certainly isn't a lighthearted one,
14:55 but it's sweet and emotional without being dour.
14:58 It will definitely have you crying by the end, but honestly, what were you expecting?
15:03 "Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million."
15:14 "Infinities are simply bigger than other infinities."
15:17 Number 6. The Hunger Games Franchise
15:20 How could we leave this massive blockbuster franchise off our list?
15:24 "Rim!"
15:25 "I volunteer! I volunteer!"
15:29 "I volunteer as tribute!"
15:33 "I believe we have a volunteer."
15:36 We couldn't.
15:37 In the early 2010s, it seemed like the easiest way to craft a hit movie
15:42 was to base it on a dystopian young adult novel.
15:45 But The Hunger Games was definitely the best of the bunch.
15:48 Based on Suzanne Collins' book series, these movies cranked up the drama,
15:53 tension and romance that existed in the novels,
15:56 while managing to please all of the loyal fans of the series.
15:59 The author had a hand in creating the screenplays,
16:02 so we'd bet that had something to do with it.
16:05 "I did know Rue."
16:07 "She wasn't just my ally, she was my friend."
16:12 "I see her in the flowers that grow in the meadow by my house."
16:18 "I hear her in a Mockingjay song."
16:21 Altogether, the first four movies made nearly $3 billion.
16:25 Considering a fifth installment/prequel dropped in 2023,
16:29 we'd say, yeah, people liked 'em.
16:31 "And if we burn, you burn with us!"
16:35 Number 5. Call Me By Your Name
16:39 Andre Aciman's 2007 novel Call Me By Your Name
16:42 took ten years before it was adapted into a movie,
16:45 but it was certainly worth the wait.
16:47 "I like the way you say things."
16:49 "I don't know why you're always putting yourself down, though."
16:52 "So you won't, I guess?"
16:54 "You really that afraid of what I think?"
17:00 The story in the book is told solely from Elio's perspective,
17:03 and largely takes place inside his head,
17:06 so the producers had their work cut out for them
17:08 when it came to translating that very intimate experience for the screen.
17:12 "Yes!"
17:13 "Whoo!"
17:14 "Whoo-hoo-hoo!"
17:17 "Follow the book!"
17:19 "Let's go!"
17:21 "Let's go!"
17:23 But they managed to bring the novel's lush setting
17:25 and thoroughly developed characters to life,
17:28 with the help of stellar acting by Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet,
17:32 and created a work that stands on its own.
17:35 Number four,
17:36 The Perks of Being a Wallflower
17:38 While it isn't unheard of for an author to be asked to write the film adaptation as well,
17:43 it is pretty remarkable when a writer is also asked to direct it.
17:47 "Hey, Patrick."
17:49 "Hey, you're in my shot class, right?"
17:53 "How's your clock coming?"
17:55 "My dad's building it for me."
17:56 "Yeah, mine looks like a boat."
17:59 "You wanna sit over here, or are you waiting for your friends?"
18:02 "No, no, no, I'll sit."
18:03 That's what happened with The Perks of Being a Wallflower,
18:06 which was both written and directed by Stephen Chbosky.
18:09 His novel about a teen dealing with mental health issues was released in 1999
18:13 and became an everlasting hit,
18:15 resonating with young people year after year.
18:18 Considering the amount of creative control that Chbosky had over the film,
18:22 it was no surprise that it was a hit with old fans,
18:25 and gained some new ones in the process.
18:27 "What is she doing?"
18:29 "Don't worry, she does it all the time."
18:32 [Waves crashing]
18:34 "Turn it up!"
18:36 "Got it, your highness."
18:38 [Music]
18:47 Number 3. Pride and Prejudice
18:49 The works of Jane Austen have been adapted for both the big and small screen
18:53 since the mediums began.
18:55 But one of our favorite renditions comes from 2005.
18:58 "He told me of his misfortune."
19:00 "Oh, your sister's fortunes have been very great indeed."
19:02 "You ruin his chances and yet you treat him with sarcasm."
19:05 "So this is your opinion of me.
19:07 Thank you for explaining so fully.
19:10 Perhaps these offenses might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt
19:13 by my honesty in admitting scruples about our relationship."
19:15 This version of Austen's most well-known novel, Pride and Prejudice,
19:19 stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew McFadyen as Mr. Darcy.
19:24 The movie's screenwriter, Deborah Mogok,
19:27 attempted to remain close to Austen's original work
19:30 while adapting dialogue and trimming storylines as needed.
19:33 She echoed a common cliche when describing the process, saying,
19:37 "If it's not broken, don't fix it."
19:40 Despite the fact that the story was centuries old,
19:43 it still managed to resonate with modern audiences.
19:46 "You must know. Surely you must know. It was all for you.
19:50 You are too generous to travel with me.
19:56 I believe you spoke with my aunt last night and it has taught me to hope,
20:00 as I had scarcely allowed myself before."
20:02 The Harry Potter novels make up the best-selling book series in history,
20:09 so the stakes were incredibly high when it came to adapting them.
20:13 "You're a wizard, Harry."
20:15 "I'm a what?"
20:18 "A wizard and a thumpin' goodnight, wager."
20:21 The series had a massive rabid fan base
20:24 and J.K. Rowling had created a fantastical world
20:27 that existed inside the minds and hearts of the book's readers.
20:30 But the films became an undeniable success
20:33 and now comprise one of the most financially successful film franchises of all time.
20:38 "And the snake's still alive?"
20:40 "Yes."
20:41 "And I've nothing to kill it with?"
20:43 "Help will always be given at Hogwarts, Harry, to those who ask for it."
20:48 Most fans still maintain that the movies can't hold a candle to the books,
20:52 but they're definitely still re-watching them at least once a year.
20:56 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
21:00 The Martian
21:01 "Right. Let's do the math.
21:04 Our service mission here was supposed to last 31 souls.
21:08 For redundancy, they sent 68 souls worth of food.
21:10 That's for six people.
21:11 So for just me, that's gonna last 300 souls,
21:14 which I figure I can stretch to 400 if I ration."
21:16 The Devil Wears Prada
21:18 "Both those belts look exactly the same to me, you know.
21:21 I'm still learning about this stuff and, uh..."
21:25 "This... stuff?
21:28 Oh.
21:30 Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you."
21:33 Little Women
21:34 "Jo, would you like to dance with me?"
21:36 "I can't because..."
21:38 "Because of what?"
21:40 "You won't tell?"
21:44 "Never."
21:45 "I scorched my dress, see? There.
21:48 And Meg told me to keep still so no one would see it."
21:51 Bridge to Terabithia
21:53 "Okay. Open the door."
21:55 "Wow.
22:02 Did you make this?"
22:04 "Yup."
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22:23 Number 1. The Lord of the Rings franchise
22:27 Even though it was released right at the beginning of the 21st century,
22:31 there was no way we were going to forget this epic fantasy trilogy.
22:35 "You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor.
22:39 Middle-earth stands upon the brink of destruction.
22:43 None can escape it.
22:45 You will unite or you will fall."
22:48 It seemed impossible that anyone could do justice to J.R.R. Tolkien's renowned works,
22:53 which were released in the 1950s.
22:55 But by the early aughts,
22:57 we finally had the technology to create these movies
23:00 in a way that felt authentic to what the writer and legions of fans had imagined.
23:05 The Lord of the Rings will inevitably go down in history
23:08 as one of the greatest film franchises of all time.
23:11 And it helps that they were working with such incredible source material.
23:15 "My friends,
23:18 you bow to no one."
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23:46 [music]