"origami" won't ever be the final word in the national spelling bee

So we rented Bee Season last night. When it was coming out, I had a few misgivings when I heard about some of the changes.

This viewing revealed the reality that last year was a pretty bad year for film adaptations of recent books.

I don't understand why this film went wrong, but it did. Rather than ever establish the sense that the Naumanns were a seemingly normal family that begins to disintegrate, the film blatantly shows initial dischord. The parents, played by Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche don't seem to have any kind of relationship. Aaron gives Eliza a judas look far too early in the story.

More troubling, is the filmmakers' decision to ratchet up the pompous factor to a stifling level.

Saul is no longer a rabbi, Richard Gere is a university professor.
Mariam is now French, and some kind of scientist.
Eliza rather than an unlikely winner of the school spelling bee, is now an all around genius.
Guitars become violins.
Charlie become Charli (I bet there were pats on the back for this one), and a boy becomes Kate Bosworth.

And with these changes, the filmmakers decided that it wasn't necessary to tell much story. Things just happen in a way that I don't think would make sense to people who didn't read the book. (I imagine that a fair number of people who read the book would be bothered by the adaptation, as well.) Aaron just wakes up moody one day. Saul finds that his thesis translation of some Kabbalah text is the key to Eliza winning the spelling bee. Mariam's erratic behavior just happens; it isn't as shocking as in the book.

And to the subject line; there is no credibility in suggesting that Eliza throws the National Spelling Bee by spelling origami as origamy. (1. This doesn't happen in the book and 2) Origami wouldn't be the final word at a local spelling bee.)

This is such an incredibly stiff movie. Maybe the four actors never actually talked to each other outside of when they were filmed. Maybe they weren't told that their role was that of someone who belonged to a family. I don't know; it's hard to understand how this went so wrong. There are a few nice little visual elements thrown in, but what a disappointment.