Review of A Ring of Endless Light

This movie stunk from the get-go. The acting was AWFUL, the screenplay was even worse, and whoever wrote/produced/ruined the screenplay deleted major scenes from the plot and watered it down to cater to the masses, who would probably also complain if they'd read the book. The book would do terrifically as a major motion picture WITH THE ORIGINAL STORYLINE INTACT (and some better acting!). Our biggest complaint with the acting was Mischa Barton - she was wrong for the part, unbelievable, insincere, detached... we could go on. Unfortunately, some talented actors were dragged down in the making of this TV movie (namely, James Whitmore, Ryan Merriman, and Jared Padalecki). When the script actually got around to using something from the book (i.e., Rob's conversation about where we go when we die), the vapid and shallow surrounding context made it seem contrived and out of place. Then there were the strange words, terms, and phrases used in the dialogue: "figger," "Hi, Harbor Master!," "the drift net! It's got Ynid!" etcetera etcetera etcetera. If anyone is considering making an award-winning and all around fabulous book into a movie, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY, stick to the original plot AND characters! Thank you for your time.