When I read Let It Snow for the first time, I immediately connected with Stuart and Jubilee. Their characters were very well done, and Stuart's family was really wonderful. The story focused on people's relationships both romantically and between friends and family. So when I started the movie, I was appalled by Netflix's decision to change Stuart from a family-oriented Jewish boy with a broken heart to an ear-pierced pop star staying in a hotel for Christmas. Many reviewers who haven't read the book seem confused by the people calling it forced diversity, so I'll explain it for them. When you have to get rid of a well-written diverse storyline in order to add a weak one, that is when it's forced. When every detail that made you love a character is erased in favor of a one-note stereotype of a pop star without a family of his own, wiping away every ounce of relatability, then that movie becomes no more than a trashy attempt to rewrite Love Actually.
In addition to the discrepancies in Stuart and Jubilee's storyline, I was also taken aback by the movies portrayal of Addie and Jeb. Instead of the story of Jeb forgiving Addie for cheating on him because of her insecurities, it became a story of a cellphone-addicted stalker girlfriend chasing after a detached, uncaring boyfriend.
As someone who has read the book every Christmas for several years, watching a movie that wiped away the best aspects of the characters I hold so dear is beyond frustrating. I was so excited to hear of the movie's release, but I walked away from it with a bitter taste in my mouth and the need to explain exactly why it shouldn't have been made.
In addition to the discrepancies in Stuart and Jubilee's storyline, I was also taken aback by the movies portrayal of Addie and Jeb. Instead of the story of Jeb forgiving Addie for cheating on him because of her insecurities, it became a story of a cellphone-addicted stalker girlfriend chasing after a detached, uncaring boyfriend.
As someone who has read the book every Christmas for several years, watching a movie that wiped away the best aspects of the characters I hold so dear is beyond frustrating. I was so excited to hear of the movie's release, but I walked away from it with a bitter taste in my mouth and the need to explain exactly why it shouldn't have been made.