Books That Inspired Famous Movies

I’m sure we all know that the movie “IT” was based on the novel by Steven King, or that the movie “Perks of Being a Wallflower” was based on the book known by the exact title. But what about those hidden inspirations? The loose interpretations that movies make based on plotlines and messages of certain books? Well, I wanted to explore that even further and see the influence of certain books on the media that we consume so often. 

Movie One: “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999)

This is one hundred percent one of my favorite movies; they simply don't make romcoms like this masterpiece anymore. It’s a feel-good classic and is known by every hopeless romantic anywhere. So, I was pretty surprised to see that it was inspired by the Shakespearean play The Taming of The Shrew. Who would’ve thought? It essentially follows the plot line of two sisters, Bianca and Katherina, and how Bianca couldn’t be courted until her hesitant and “shrewish” older sister got married. This is when the unlikely Petruccio steps in, and marries Katherina (going against her desires), and tries to subordinate her to a willing wife. Somewhat problematic and weird if you ask me, but I guess it manifested into a pretty good movie. 

Movie Two: “Clueless” (1995)

Another absolute fan-favorite movie that was surprisingly based on classical literature. This movie is Emma written by the highly esteemed Jane Austen that was modernized into the funny and charming movie set in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles that we know so well today. In the book, we have Emma Woodhouse. She’s witty and beautiful but also kinda disconnected in her efforts to play matchmaker in her village. She’s pretty spoiled and maybe not the smartest at times, but it is truly a beautifully written book with wonderful prose. Emma deserves all the appreciation for the amount of wit and sarcasm it includes and how engaging the novel's components of social commentary are.

Movie Three: “Mean Girls” (2004)

This is the type of movie that is so iconic in the pop culture world and so relevant when it comes to our references, costumes, broadway renditions, etc. I mean it’s like that one movie that never fails to entertain or fade from our minds, and it was actually inspired by a non-fiction self-help book titled Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. It talked about a variety of topics that inspired the various plot points that Tina Fey centered the movie around such as bullying, high school cliques, gossip, and the toxic effects of these topics on both the social scene of high school and young girls. 

Movie Four: “She’s The Man” (2006)

This is another comedic movie that holds fond memories and nostalgia when discussing movies from the 2000s. And guess what? It was based on another Shakespearean play titled Twelfth Night. Maybe we need to start using these plays from like 500 years ago again because they produce the most entertaining and enjoyable movies. Twelfth Night follows Viola, a girl separated from her twin Sebastian in a shipwreck and creates a new disguise as a young man to get a job as a servant under a Duke. Her false name and persona are under the identity “Cesario”, and the play has love triangles, confusion, and so many jokes.