The Lovely Bones: A Lovely Movie

“The Lovely Bones” is a lovely movie in every sense of the word, but if you’re a fan of Alice Sebold’s bestselling book, you may find yourself disappointed. I’ve been anxiously anticipating seeing this movie, especially once I heard that Peter Jackson was directing.  But while it was visually stunning, I found it missing the sense of humor and hope the book offered.

The film tells the story of Susie Salmon, “Like the fish,” who’s murdered at age fourteen and is up in heaven, watching her family cope (or not cope in some cases) with her death. We watch as her parents and sister grieve.

Peter Jackson manages to expertly navigate the brutal violence that was a huge part of the book and still keep the spirit of the story alive as we watch this young girl, desperately longing to return to her family.  His heaven is vivid and colorful, a sort of dreamlike world that contrasts the sadness and reality of earth. But what is a unique character study in the book is glossed over in the film, and the movie ends up feeling a bit empty.

The highlight of the film was the performance of Saiorse Ronan as Susie. Ronan earned an Oscar nomination in 2006 for her role in “Atonement” and she delivers another award winning performance.  While Stanley Tucci plays the role of Susie’s murderer with chilling precision.  You follow Susie and feel her pain and her families, knowing no one will ever be okay and for that, it’s definitely worth the price of a ticket.