Movie Review: Flowers in the Attic

Flowers in the Attic

Release Date: January 18th 2014
Production Company: Cue the Dog Production | Front Street Pictures
Distributor: Lifetime Movie Network
Director: Deborah Chow
Writers: Kayla Alpert (script) | V. C. Andrews (novel)
Starring: Heather Graham, Kiernan Shipka, Ellen Burstyn and Mason Dye
Genre: Drama | Mystery | Thriller
Rating: TV14

Official Sites: Lifetime | #FlowersintheAttic

About: Based on V.C. Andrews’ controversial book that quickly became a cult classic, the Lifetime Original Movie “Flowers in the Attic” weaves the twisted story of the Dollanganger kids who, after the unexpected death of their father, are convinced by their mother Corrine (Heather Graham) to stay hidden in the attic of their wealthy grandparents’ mansion so she can reclaim the family fortune. But as her visits begin to wane after she becomes involved with a new husband (Dylan Bruce), the children endure unimaginable treatment at the hands of their ruthless grandmother Olivia Foxworth (Ellen Burstyn). As years go by and the eldest children Cathy (Kiernan Shipka) and Christopher (Mason Dye) come of age, both emotionally and physically, their family’s sordid past entraps them further as they look to each other for comfort.

Andrews’ first published novel, “Flowers in the Attic” was an instant hit when it was released in 1979, topping bestsellers lists in just two weeks. Captivating millions of readers worldwide, the book launched a series of five novels about the Dollanganger and Foxworth families. Andrews’ novels are famous for their twisted, rags-to-riches family tales that explore why people love to hate and hurt each other. Today, there are 106 million copies of her books that have been published in 95 countries.

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The day finally arrived for Lifetime Channel’s 2014 adaptation of V. C. Andrews bestselling classic novel ‘Flowers in the Attic’. Many were excited and anticipating the latest go at adapting such a well-known novel. Sooooo it hurts my heart to say this but I was let down after watching the movie. I really had a good feeling about this adaptation because Lifetime does a great job at movies and the characters they cast were good choices. But it just didn’t click for me. There are so many things I can point out that were either comical or just plain bad but I won’t. I never like to write negative reviews about movies or books. That being said, would I recommend it? Sure it’s still something to watch if nothing else is on or any fan should watch it regardless of how good or bad it is.

I would recommend reading the book because honestly this is the one time I can shout that the book is 1 million times better than the movie. The positive is that if you do plan or have read the book recently and plan to read the rest of the series, than you have these modern actors you can use to picture the characters while you read the books.

If they would have include more of the estranged scenes in the novel which is what we all loved about the book, then maybe the film would have been better in my eyes. The acting was also off with some of the actors. So much was changed that I might have to see it a few more times to understand why, maybe because it’s a movie made for TV and the tough subjects that the book touches might be too much and that’s why but if you know what kind of book your dealing with, then why change it. Just don’t adapt it, if you can’t be faithful to it. Even with everything I said, the movie had over 6 million viewers, so I’m thinking that turnout will definitely push the sequel forward in getting adapted.

Again this is a case where I suggest you read the book FIRST then watch the movie. You can read my full book review HERE.