'Painted House' has disappointments, true moments

With a twinkle in his eyes, John Grisham said of the movie version of his book "A Painted House," "It's a lot of cotton and mud." And well it should be. These two elements are key to the setting and the plot of the book, and fortunately the same is true of the movie.

It was with trepidation that I watched the movie -- a book-to-movie has yet to live up to my expectations, but I recalled Grisham remarking, "It was just like I remembered," when asked about the movie at a recent book signing in Arkansas. His interpretation of the book was the guiding force in every phase of production, including the location for the filming.

Cape Girardeans know well "A Painted House" after last year's successful United We Read community literacy project with John Grisham's semi-autobiographical novel as the topic of 32 discussions. Together, we dissected the plot, characters and setting, complained about the ending and even predicted a sequel. We knew the story; could a brief made-for-TV movie do the book justice?

Like the book, the movie tells the story of the Chandler family, farmers in Black Oak, Ark., in 1952. (Remember the band from the '70s by that name? "Jim Dandy's" folks still live in town.)

The narrator has a regional accent that reminds one of Grisham's. The original score and the setting -- it was filmed just 30 miles away in Lepanto, Ark. -- fit perfectly. The costuming and vehicles are authentic and allow the viewer, for a brief time, to live in rural Arkansas during the cotton-picking season, when hill people from the Ozarks and Mexicans were a valued commodity to assist with the labor intensive task.

The disappointments appear with the first character, but casting directors never do find actors who look like they are supposed to. The tornado was cheesy. The burlap and baling wire "tornado" from "The Wizard of Oz" would have been as effective.

I was equally disappointed with the flood scene. Readers will recall the frantic efforts of the Chandlers to rescue the Latcher family, but viewers will miss those heroic efforts. Sunday night viewers will also miss out on all the food that was such a vital part of the book. I was hungry the entire time I read the book and didn't feel a single urge to raid the icebox for potato salad or Gran's fried chicken and biscuits while watching the movie.

The characters in the movie miss out on a great deal of fun that the book characters had. There isn't a baseball game between the Methodists and the Baptists (nor the picnic), and the carnival, if it came to town, isn't attended (they miss out on that food too.).

However, the relationships Luke enjoyed with Pappy and his mother are as loving as we encountered in our readings. The concern the Chandler's had for Ricky, their son fighting in Korea, is as genuine as families face today and the letters just as treasured. In his novel, Grisham created characters that we knew well. Unfortunately, characters are not as developed in the movie.

"A Painted House," the movie, is faithful to the original plot and details; the farmhouse, barn and outhouse are presented in perfect detail. If you lived in Southeast Missouri or the upper South in the '50s, you will find yourself and your neighbors. The dust and mud and hard work are there, too.

Is it worth watching? Absolutely, but read the book, too. The combination will give you a glimpse of a time in rural America that, according to local experts who lived it, is authentic in the telling. The plight of modem farmers is little different from the struggles the Chandlers faced when torrential rains and damaging winds could ruin the independent farmer. Little boys still have secrets and often see and hear too much. Fortunate are the few who, like Luke, have a family and community who love them.

Chat with me about "A Painted House," the book and the movie, the next time we run into each other at the store. Or stop by the Central Library and we'll compare the book with our memories of the movie, memories that will certainly include "a lot of cotton and mud".

Julia Jorgensen is the librarian at Central High School and founder of United We Read in Cape Girardeau.