The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)

This made a much better movie than it did a novel. When I read the book, I found Pippa to be aggressively unlikable, but I "got it" in the movie. Stripping out the right amount of backstory and putting a spotlight on the cause of her current behavior and attitude really helped to make Pippa relatable. It's a good thing that the author handled the conversion to screenplay and directing duties herself because I rather doubt that anyone else could've understood the material (I certainly didn't).

Not quite good, but interesting and, like I said, a heckuva a lot better than the source material. Blake Lively, who was beginning to annoy me with her one-note performance on Gossip Girl, turns in a nicely nuanced performance as the young Pippa here.

B-