Wait for the Movie: Top 10 2011 Flicks Adapted from Books

By Alex Scordelis

  • C'mon, we know you put a Jonathan Franzen book jacket on this book and read it on the subway.
  • The movie that millions of moms saw and then went to their book clubs pretending to have read the novel.
  • Required viewing if you need to talk to anyone 14-years-old or younger for more than 30 seconds.
  • Warning: If you slip and call this "Like Water for Elephants," people will instantly know you didn't read the book.
  • It was very surprising the Scorsese was able to work "Sympathy for the Devil" into this movie.
  • Not a biopic about the beloved '80s pop-punk band!
  • "Moneyball" or "One of the Last Movies Where Jonah Hill Was Chubby."
  • Anne Hathaway was in this? Maybe reading the book is better than watching the movie in this case.
  • They bought a zoo, but will you buy a ticket to watch this schlock? Probably not.
  • Matthew McConaughey stars in this film about a legal eagle who drives a Town Car. It was mostly seen by people on domestic Delta flights who were basically forced to watch it.
 
Earlier this week, the New York Times announced their 10 best books of 2011 list. This year's winners are all worthy tomes, but if you're going to be swamped over the holidays and won't have the time to read a 500-page book, PAPERMAG has compiled a list of 10 movies adapted from books in 2011. Watch these movies, and you can trick your co-workers at the company holiday party into thinking you're a voracious bookworm. So if you're the kind of person who watched Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet the night before your Shakespeare pop quiz in the 10th grade instead of reading the play, this list is for you. 

This story was published on Dec. 2, 2011

MORE IN: Word of Mouth

TAGS: Breaking Dawn, Descendants, Girl with Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Lincoln Lawyer, Moneyball, One Day, The Help, Water For Elephants, We Bought a Zoo

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