I know that the book isn’t going anywhere, and that long after people have probably forgotten what at least looks to be a truly mediocre family movie, you’ll still be able to take Judith Viorst’s 1972 classic down from the shelf and read it without thinking for a minute about a creative lowpoint in Steve Carrell’s mostly terrific career.
Still, when you get emotionally attached to something, a rational reaction is not always easy to come by. And this movie looks like an affront to a book that I love. Maybe the trailer just doesn’t do it justice, and the script by Lisa Cholodenko and Rob Lieber and direction by Miguel Arteta actually somehow capture the spirit of the book. Either way, the movie arrives in October.
