'The Idea of You' Author Didn't Love the Movie's Ending, Reason Why Revealed
Not everyone is satisfied with how The Idea of You ends – including the author of the book that inspired the film.
Robinne Lee talked to Jezebel about her debut novel being adapted into a movie, and why she prefers her original ending.
Keep reading to find out more…
During the discussion of the difference between the book and the movie, she explained why the ending the book was controversial to some.
“When I was writing this book, I was very aware that I was writing from the perspective of a French woman. I’m a huge fan. I live here now in Paris and they have a different approach to many things than we do in America. And that’s part of their appeal to me. I love the way they tell their stories. I love their films. I love that they don’t feel like they have to put a happy ending on it and wrap it up in a pretty bow,” she said.
“I love that there’s a lesson to be learned and it can be dark and groveling and it could be sad. It can be illuminating. If you’re French, you go out to eat with your friends after [a movie] in a cafe and you smoke cigarettes and drink red wine for two more hours talking about it. It’s perfect here. And so I wanted this book to feel French to me. I wanted a French ending. I wanted the person to leave the theater and be like, ‘Whoa! We have to discuss this!’ As opposed to like, ‘Oh…that’s good.’ But that’s America,” she continued.
“It’s not real and that’s what really bothers me. I can’t stand that. In romance, even if it’s a happy ending, that’s just the beginning. Anyone who’s been married for more than a year—five, 10, 20 years—knows that it’s work. And it’s not always happy, happy! But you’re a team. You’re gonna’ have highs and lows. There are gonna’ be days that are not so great, especially if you have kids, and you’re living through that.”
“I don’t know. I think as young girls we’re fed so many fairy tales about the Prince and the knight in shining armor, and it’s not real. It’s a lot to put on us, that expectation—when we start looking for real-life partners and what a relationship should look like, and what a partnership should look like. It just kind of screws with our heads. I understand for some people, there’s a time and place for escapism. And some people need that because the oppression or the heaviness of real life is, like, “I need something to just get me out of this moment!” But I’d like to give the other people another option; those who don’t necessarily need their little bit of levity and escape to be completely frothy, and not have something more gravitas,” she concluded.
She also explained why she regrets saying which pop star inspired the character Hayes.