Remarkably Bright Creatures

In this episode, we're comparing Shelby Van Pelt's bestselling novel with the new film adaptation, breaking down the biggest differences between the book and the movie. From Marcellus the giant Pacific octopus being even sassier on the page, to Cameron's very different characterisation, we'll explore what changed, what worked, and whether those changes improved the story.

We also discuss Sally Field's outstanding performance as Tova, Lewis Pullman's portrayal of Cameron, Alfred Molina's perfect voice work as Marcellus, and why this adaptation has received such a positive reaction from both readers and film audiences.

Plus, we're diving into online reviews and fan reactions to see what the internet really thinks about Remarkably Bright Creatures and whether the book still comes out on top.

Transcript

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Hello everyone and welcome back to the channel Is the Book Better with me, The Lobster Dad, or Better Dads Project, however you know me. Today we're talking about Remarkably Bright Creatures, the novel by Shelby Van Pelt, that somehow convinced millions of readers to become pretty obsessed with a sarcastic giant octopus, and now it's been adapted to the screen, so you know that's where I come in, where I'm constantly Googling which films were based on books, and when I saw this one, and then they had a tongue-in-cheek that lobster book, not that lobster book, that octopus film or that oc uh octopus book, I was like, okay, this might be a bit of me. Now, if you've never read the book, the premise is ridiculous. An elderly widow, a d uh 20-something drifter, an aquarium, and an octopus that might be the smartest creature in the entire story. It shouldn't work, but these were both enjoyable experiences. The book uh became one of those novels that people didn't just enjoy, they kind of like it I've seen it just become like a word of mouth thing. That's why it was known as that octopus book. Because Remarkably Bright Creatures, you know what obviously that means if you've read the book, but it's like a tongue-in-cheek kind of expression that people use for the octopus, which he does take in offence, to be fair, because he's far brighter than remarkably bright, and people are just saying, Yeah, it's that octopus book, and then they have to Google, oh yeah, it's remarkably bright creatures. So it's quite quite a long title, but it did just become one of those books where it's like, no, I know it sounds ridiculous, but just give it a go. However, as you know, the answer to the question that I'm looking for is was the book actually better? Is the book better? Because people say all the time, Oh, it's a good film, yeah, but you know, have you read the book? The book's better. And I want to say, is it though? Is that always the case that the book is better? And that's what I'm about to find out in the case of Remarkably Bright Creatures. Goodness me. So this is full of spoilers, also. So if you haven't read it and haven't watched it, what you been doing? What you been doing? I can't talk. I only read it and watched it within the last couple of weeks, so I'm quite late to the party too, because of the same thing. I saw an octopus on a film and I was like, I can't really be bothered with that right now. That's not gonna make me cry. How naive and young and silly I was. So let's get into the book. And as again, like and subscribe and all that, and there is gonna be spoilers, so don't message me angry saying I've ruined the book for you. I've told you. I've told you. There has been a few episodes where I haven't said it until the end, and I apologize for that. But here we go, these are spoilers. I think the characters are the key of this book, it wouldn't work without that kind of insular area they all live in, that community, very tiny community where everyone knows everybody, and there's not much of the outside world coming into it, so you can see how quickly someone who is alone in regards to family, she's got lots of friends, but who is alone in regards to family, may start talking to the aquarium and the nightlife at the aquarium, and may find herself having these one-way conversations that she treats as therapy. And I think if it was maybe in like a busier city and it was like a massive aquarium, I don't think this would have worked. It needs to be in a small town where she's not constantly getting interrupted, where there's not an entire crew of people working to clean the place, it's just her manoe with all these animals. The overarching decades-old missing person mystery running through the story gets you straight away. There are secrets, there are reveals, but that's not the engine, the whole engine of it is loneliness. Part of you're wondering why she's alone. I think you find out pretty early on that the husband isn't around anymore, but it gets eked out why the son that isn't often mentioned isn't around either, and they do kind of drip feed that in a way of just focusing more on Tova and her routine after losing, you know, both her husband and her son, Eric. And you've got Cameron who has spent most of his life drifting from place to place, and he doesn't know where he belongs, and he comes off as actually quite a well-rounded individual for how kind of batshit his life was beforehand. And then of course you've got Marcellus, and he's trapped inside an aquarium, and sometimes the confines of his aquarium don't feel as confined as Tova and her routine, if I can find deeper meaning there. But for me, Marcellus does steal the show. Obviously, he's the narrator, so he's constantly in every single scene, and he's just such a sassy octopus. He's fantastic. I like I've said before, the idea of this being oh, it's a book narrated by an octopus. You're like, oh shut up. God Christ, I remember when books used to be proper, proper books. This is a book I've connected to the most in in a while, if I'm honest. He's so observant, he's endlessly disappointed with human beings, which is so relatable. He watches the visitors come along and tap on the glass, he watches them making their terrible decisions and missing some obvious clues. And once you buy into the fact that how's he how's he know English? How's how how does this all this happen? Once you kind of like go, okay, he under he understands people and you buy into that, then what he says is you know is is often quite poignant and funny, and you do have to let yourself go into that. If you are a complete boring ass, you're not gonna like this book because you do have to buy into the fact that you are listening to the inner monologue of an octopus, which saying it there even sounds crazy, but he has genuine emotional depth. Realize that beneath all the sarcasm, he's lonely too, because obviously he's trapped, and that makes his relationship with Tova like moving and with a huge amount of parallels. Then of course we've got Tova, which is a character that on paper you're not you should it's a tricky one because if you look at her on paper, her husband's dead, her son's missing, slash also dead, so you should immediately feel sorry for her. Straight away she you're sympathetic to her character, and you do, but at the same time, she's a stubborn mule. She's so set in her ways, and I understand that that's how she's dealing with her grief, that she creates these routines, she needs to clean the aquarium, she needs to walk the same routes, and she's doing exactly everything in the same order every single day, so she doesn't really have time to think about other things. And we've all been there where you've just cracked on with something and thrown yourself fully at something because you're putting off thinking about something else or taking on a hard situation that you don't want to deal with right now. So Tove, I do obviously I don't relate to her in on that level because she's gone through a lot more hardship than I have, but I do understand that that's how some people deal with a horrible situation, it's by chucking themselves at something else, even if it's the most boring thing in the world, it takes your mind off the thing you don't want to deal with. And the novel spends its time dealing with these routines constantly, and I think that there has been some chat online about readers finding that slow. But I liked it because if they just went, oh yeah, Tova, she does the same thing every single day, uh, she does this and then this and then this, and that's what she does every day, and it's been six months of her doing that, it's been a year of her doing that. It doesn't really let you feel that length of time, whereas going over it and over and over it lets you sit in it for a bit, lets you see how repetitive her life is, but that's how she has to deal with it, and people deal with grief in different ways, and this is hers stiff upper lip swede, you know. I mean her brother dies, and she kind of takes that on the chin as well. And then there's Cameron, he's not perfect, but what chance did he have? Really? He's broke, he's searching for answers, he occasionally makes bad decisions, but he's not incompetent, and I think it's one of those stories of because he was dragged up basically and not really raised, he was raised by his auntie, he's had to do a lot of things himself, therefore he is competent in that regard. He can fix anything because he probably had to fix the trailer loads of times. He's had to look out for himself, and that is why he's so capable and thoughtful and proactive. Because if you live a life where you haven't got anyone to rely on, you can't wait for them to do the thing for you. You've got to do it yourself. And in a way, that horrendous upbringing he had, no offense to the auntie, but not so perfect upbringing he had lends into him having some pretty solid skills. And you do believe that he can turn his life around because he bloody deserves it. He's had enough of a hard run at the minute, so let's you back him straight away, you do feel sorry for him. If he was more like if he was more of a prick and like, oh god, I had such a tough upbringing, blah blah blah, and he kept going on about it, and you were like, Alright, alright, and all you do is hear about it, but he doesn't want to talk about it, he just wants to move forward. So I like that about him. But what I did find strange, and I'll get into this more with the film, is that the big twist isn't hidden in the novel for very long. It's heavily foreshadowed. And so most readers figure out quite early. I mean, I was even shocked when he said that um he recognised the um Marcellus recognised something because he'd crawled over it before in the ocean, something like a a shoe or something, or I can't remember what it was, but basically Marcellus had been in contact with Tova's son's body. Which you do once again have to suspend disbelief, like what are the chances? Like truly, what are the chances? Was he taken from Maine and put into this aquarium, or is he from further away and he somehow was I don't know, it's it's it's pretty mad that that happens. But what they do instead is instead of us all finding it out together, like you do in the film, which I said I'll get into, we find out early on, and then it becomes, well, when are they gonna find out? Are they gonna find out? Is this gonna be one of those things where they're like you know, um ships in the night or whatever, or sliding doors where it could happen that they work it out themselves, but Marcellus can't tell them. Are they gonna clock it? Are they gonna work it out? How's that gonna happen? And so you're waiting for it. And I genuinely was worried that it was gonna be one of those things where we know it's Tova's grandson, they never find out, he moves on because he gets the money he needs, and then that's it. But obviously, thank God that didn't happen because oh, I would have thrown this book in the bin if that had happened. So what I expected to be a mystery novel, because I did full disclosure watch the film beforehand, isn't a mystery novel. It's about grief, it's about forgiveness, it's about found family and second chances, and the importance of allowing people into your life after you've convinced yourself that you're better off alone, because the most heartbreaking thing is when Toe's friend goes, if you could just stop thinking of yourself as a burden, you would actually be a good friend. Or something like that. I'm paraphrasing, but it's that whole concept of stop trying to get out of our way and look to us for help before you know we kind of get sick of trying to help you. Because eventually you do. You can help and help and help and help people, but the more you get pushed back, the less likely you are to help them. So they're just like, Tova, let us bloody help you, Jesus Christ. We get it, you're self-sufficient. That's fine. We're not gonna take that away from you, but we all need help from time to time. Come on, let us help you push that boulder up this hill, Tova. Jesus. So those ideas do stay with you long after you finish reading, and I don't want to be a curmudgeon as a you know 70-year-old, whatever state I'm in, at that point. Unfortunately, I am already about a 33-year-old curmudgeon anyway, so it's not looking good. I digress. Let's get into the film. So, as I said, I saw the film first because I kind of I kinda I did cheat. In all honesty, I cheated, guys. I saw the film first because it was on my Netflix, and I thought I'm sure that's a book, and there it was, it was a book. So I thought, well, I haven't got the book with me right now, I'm just gonna watch the film because if I don't like the film, there's a very good chance I'm not gonna like the book, and I'm not wasting my time doing both. Let's do the film. And god I loved it. I really did. It's so warm, it's so heartfelt, it understands what we need as viewers, and when we need it, and it doesn't do it obviously in the same order as the book, as I've said before, but it honours the book. Obviously, the main plots there and everything like that, and they make it more Hollywood in the way that things are revealed, but for the most part, the essence of the book is in there, the essence of the small town feel, the essence of grief and loneliness, it's all there. You see it obviously you see it, it's a film, but what you felt during reading the book, as I found later on, you see in the film. They do such a good job of conveying that. They really do. And it wasn't until I read the book that I realised that they've done a cracking fucking job. Also, Sally Field. Sally Field. I I don't know if I'm just being obtuse here, but where have you been, Sally? Not the okay, need to clarify. This isn't the first time I've heard of Sally Field, obviously. But where have you been, Sally? Where have you been? Have you it's like I don't know if anything's going on in the post, like but I feel like I've seen her in nothing for a decade, maybe 15 years. I'm trying to think of the last thing modern I remember her in. Either way. So happy she's back, she's so good. She plays Tova with so much restraint, and there are very few actors that can communicate grief so simply. She doesn't overact. There's no There's no Dealing with the grief, you would often get someone just overdoing it because they've gone through something absolutely horrendous, but you don't get any of that. She's not giving emotional speeches every five minutes, everything feels lived in, which I will say credit to the costume department, because one thing I absolutely hate about certain films at the minute is that they'll be set in a place where you know not everyone's absolutely minted, not everyone can buy new all the time, but the clothes all look brand new, and it does my head in. I mean, I've seen shows recently where they've even got like a you can clearly see a fold mark in the t-shirt, they've got it fresh out of the box, and they're meant to be on breadline, you know. Make it lived in, make it feel like this like Sally Field has done this routine for decades. That's what it felt like, and I genuinely can't see anyone else playing Tover. Annoyingly, I did just have Jodie Foster in my head because that other film she was in, she's got a Swedish name or something, so I don't know why I kept thinking of her throughout this film, and also Lewis Pullman could be the calendar boy for Nepa babies. He's good in my book, and I understand he had an unfair advantage with his dad being Bill Pullman, but he's got it. He's got it. I saw him in a film with Elizabeth Banks recently, and I can't remember what the film was called, but he had it in that as well. He's got whatever it is, he's got it. Great hair too. But he's good, he's charming, he's funny, he has genuine screen presence, he does carry a lot of the positives that are about um old boyo in the book, the Cameron in the book, he carries a lot of that forward. He does play it. There's there's moments in the book where I'm like, is Cameron that charming? And when you see him do it in person in the film, you're like, God, he there's a charm, that's a charming man right there. Jesus. No wonder he found a girl so quickly. So I'm I'm all for him, and I want to see him in more things, and by the look of it, he's gonna be in a lot more things. So happy, happy, happy days. And yet, does being Bill Pullman's son open doors? Probably. And you still have to deliver when you walk through them though, that's my main thing. That was my kind of thing with that university scandal. You know how like all these celebrities were paying to have their kids go into university. None of the kids failed the university, so that makes me think of that the whole university being a scam anyway. Anyway, obviously you shouldn't you shouldn't uh bribe for your kids to get into university, but I'm saying if the universities were that difficult, the kids should have all failed if they weren't good enough to get in in the first place. So do universities are con, is what I'm saying. Anyway, um my only issue with Cameron having listened to the book afterwards is he is way more of a slob in the film, and I think they've done that to make his character arc more obvious because he comes with a pretty level head. Obviously he's angry that this dad he wants a load of money from this this dad and he does he does carry that anger with him, but for the most part, he's pretty level, he's he's good at what he does, and and anything he puts his hand to he can do. But this Cameron, I think they made him a slob so they could have the moments where Tova you know teaches him things and he's resistant to learn at first because let's phaser he's young, she's old, what can an old lady t teach me? That kind of thing. Um so when he eventually you know goes full circle, not full circle, has it like a 180, and by the end of it he's you know, dating this girl, she's got a kid that he couldn't handle at first, um, and all that lot, it's more defined, like it's clear, like, oh god, where he started to where he is now, he's a he's a different person. So that I think that's why they've done it. Either way, though, I like both versions of Cameron, whether and he's still capable in the film, he's just doesn't really care as much about this menal job because his his mind is in being a musician, which is fine. And then of course Alfred Molina as Marcellus. Um if you've ever had a conversation with me, you know I've probably brought up the fact that you need to watch the video of Alfred Molina preparing for his Broadway stint whilst on the set of Spider-Man 2. So he's dressed as Doc Ark in full regalia, absolutely belting some Broadway tunes, and it's one of the best videos on the internet. And if you haven't seen it, go have a look, it's fantastic. But I love him. No notes, he is exactly the dry, intelligent, slightly superior tone I imagined when reading the book, and then to be honest, the audiobook. I should really have got his name in the audiobook, he was fantastic too. And if Marcellus hadn't worked, the whole film would have fallen apart. And once again, a good chunk of that, obviously that's in the filmmaking being fantastic, but a good chunk of that comes from the viewer and the reader. You do have to buy into this. I can't say that enough. You have to buy into the bit. If you don't buy into the bit about the octopus, you're not gonna have a good time. Changes. See, naturally, the biggest casualty is time. The novel has hundreds of pages to build a relationship, the film has two hours, so everything happens a little faster, so some supporting characters lose their depth, mainly the knitting circle, but they still have their steen stealing moments. I got as much from the knitting circle in the book as I did from the film because they used them. They used them as they needed to use them, and when they use them, they made impact. So Maybe we lost a little bit of depth, but and some of the quieter moments, but I think it still carries the same emotional beats that the book has. Plus, obviously they changed a bit where we are shown that he's the grandson, and then we get to enjoy it with them. They all find out everyone finds out together, which is pretty cool. Obviously, someone who's more intelligent probably would have clocked on sooner, but I simply didn't. And it's not a divisive adaptation from what I found. Usually when the filmmaker messes around with the order of something or changes the theme in there, blah blah blah. No one dislikes this film. From what I've seen, I haven't seen a split audience. There's Sally Field was perfect casting, Alfred Molina was a fantastic Marcellus. People cried quite a lot. Same here. Even viewers who thought the film simplified the novel admitted it still captured the same emotional warmth. So people are saying a lot of what I'm saying is that yes, things were omitted from the book when the film was made, but it still captures all you need, maybe the shopkeeper. He at first I thought he was going to be a bit more of a fall guy for things, like he was kind of the comic relief, but he plays a he plays more of a pivotal role in the book than he does the film. Obviously, he's still pretty prominent in the film, but in the book he does a lot more with Cameron than he does in the film. So that is where the main issue was, really, was him and Cameron himself. It's the same thing I've said. He's lost some of his maturity in the film. He's scruffier and less capable than his literary counterpart, which is fine. You need to make some changes. Like I said, it's for the character arc, it's for the plot. If he came kind of level-headed and knew what he was doing, I think you'd pick up pretty early that he's Tova's grandson. You'd be like, hang on, they're so alike. So they had to have them slightly different. You need if you've got a grandma, they're not identical to the grandson, you need to have some differences. But yeah, the book just has more room to breathe, and which is usually my verdict on these things. That being said, I understand why people love both versions. The film captures the heart, the novel captures the soul, but for me, this is a very close one. Because I got the same feelings from both, and that in the book, Marcellus is funnier, Tova feels even more real, and Cameron is a stronger character. I still liked the reveal of the grandson and having that Hollywood ending. I'm sorry, I know I'm just sheeple, right? I did enjoy it. I thought if you want to get the same feeling, but in two hours rather than ten, twelve hours of reading the book, the film is more for you. I think I think it was brilliant. I really do. I could watch it again. I'm I'm do a cry. So for me it's so close though. Like if I was to give it a rating out of ten, it would be like film eight point eight and book eight point six. It's so close. I would say the film just tastes a biscuit for me. Just and if you really want to read them both and you'll see the differences and uh see that the film does a fantastic homage to the book, it really does take the key essence and puts it on the screen for you. And also, I want to go to Maine. I really do. Is that in Maine, isn't it? Miss Somewhere it's yeah, no, it's not. Oh, that's gonna annoy me. Is it Maine? Anyway, so yeah, for me, the film is just better. I don't know, I could have gone either way. But that is it for it for today. If you've read Remarkably Bright Creatures or watched the film, let me know in the comments which version do you prefer? And do you think that Marcella stole the entire story? And the only correct answer is yes. And if you enjoyed this comparison, I'd really appreciate it if you hit like and subscribe. It genuinely helps the character It genuinely helps the channel grow, and it means you won't miss future book versus film deep dives. Um I also post short reviews, quick recommendations, behind-the-scenes thoughts, and plenty more book and film content over on TikTok and Instagram at Better Dad's Project. Um, but that's also mainly just family stuff and um buying fruit crockery and buying my daughter and son cute outfits from TK Maxx. So if you want even more recommendations between uploads, come over and say hello over there. Go follow me. And if you've come from my TikTok and Instagram, hey, thank you. This uh this podcast came before the TikTok and Instagram. The TikTok and Instagram were meant to supplement the podcast. Um, however, the the TikTok and Instagram have taken over. So all the links are in the description below, and thank you so much for listening. And I'll see you in the next one in a couple of weeks. Bye now.