Big Little Lies

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MicahSommer
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Big Little Lies

Post by MicahSommer »

I recently finished watching the HBO miniseries Big Little Lies, and it is fantastic. I read the novel it is based on a couple years ago and loved it, but the series might be even better.

It's about a group of parents of first-graders, and their children, and the tangled web of relationships between them. Domestic abuse is a major theme, and it's handled very well, though it's difficult to watch at times. Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard deliver incredible performances - their life is perfect on the outside and a toxic mess on the inside.

Reece Witherspoon, Adam Scott, Shailene Woodley, and Laura Dern among others also give great performances.

The series is quite faithful to the book for the most part. There were a few plot points carried over that felt rushed or undeveloped, that I wondered why they didn't just cut out entirely. Otherwise the story survives the transition very well.

The cinematography and music are excellent.

It's nominated for Emmys in 14 categories, and I hope it rakes 'em in.

It is well worth a watch, and with just seven hour-long episodes it's not too big a time commitment.
"you did a skillful job pulling off the sexy" - RangerDenni
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Caravan Ray
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Re: Big Little Lies

Post by Caravan Ray »

I was a bit disappointed.

Also read the novel which I liked - but shifting the setting from Sydney's northern beaches to California seemed pretty silly (though the scenery was quite spectacular in parts).

True - that change didn't make it as bad as I thought it was going to be - but it did lose a lot of the humour from the original novel. The novel was very funny in a particularly Australian way - and that was lost in translation. The whole change from a daggy, primary school trivia night to some big ritzy affair for the finale was truly puzzling.

Nicole Kidman was quite good, as was Laura Dern, the girl playing Jane and most of the kids. But I thought Reece Witherspoon (who I usually like) was completely wrong as Madeline. And the dude playing Ed had about as much personality as a lettuce leaf. Laura Dern seemed to be the only actor that realised her role was actually a comic one - and she made the most of it. The other comic characters from the novel were played too straight.

Overall I did enjoy it, and as I said, relieved that it wasn't as bad as many "American translations" can be (don't get me started on "Girl on the Train" - wtf!?!?!) - but I would love to see it re-done as an Australian production.
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MicahSommer
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Re: Big Little Lies

Post by MicahSommer »

Caravan Ray wrote:I was a bit disappointed.

Also read the novel which I liked - but shifting the setting from Sydney's northern beaches to California seemed pretty silly (though the scenery was quite spectacular in parts).

True - that change didn't make it as bad as I thought it was going to be - but it did lose a lot of the humour from the original novel. The novel was very funny in a particularly Australian way - and that was lost in translation. The whole change from a daggy, primary school trivia night to some big ritzy affair for the finale was truly puzzling.

Nicole Kidman was quite good, as was Laura Dern, the girl playing Jane and most of the kids. But I thought Reece Witherspoon (who I usually like) was completely wrong as Madeline. And the dude playing Ed had about as much personality as a lettuce leaf. Laura Dern seemed to be the only actor that realised her role was actually a comic one - and she made the most of it. The other comic characters from the novel were played too straight.

Overall I did enjoy it, and as I said, relieved that it wasn't as bad as many "American translations" can be (don't get me started on "Girl on the Train" - wtf!?!?!) - but I would love to see it re-done as an Australian production.
I agree about the humor element - I think the producers of the show were very deliberately going for a more dramatic "prestige television" feel, which meant downplaying the comedic elements. I thought Reece Witherspoon's performance was good but it was definitely different from my expectations. (I remember thinking, "Ooh, Nicole Kidman as Celeste, perfect. Shailene Woodley as Jane, okay, I can see it, not bad. Reece Witherspoon as Madeline - really?")
"you did a skillful job pulling off the sexy" - RangerDenni
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