Have you wondered what the difference in Fifty Shades of Grey book and the movie? With Friday night screening in New York we now know there’s five.
But there were more than a few changes from the book — including one very important, ahem, member of the cast.
*** SPOILERS ahead for those who haven’t read the book or seen the movie.***
Yes, the Audi cars, helicopters, the crop and red leather mattress all made the cut. So did the ripped and unbuttoned jeans that Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) only wears in his playroom.
But the closest the stars get to nudity is a hint, here and there, of the kind of hair Grey normally orders his girlfriends to wax off. Dornan’s “manhood” stays off the screen, despite its ubiquitous presence in the book.
And the screenplay stays very loyal to the book’s dialogue. Pivotal lines like
“Enlighten me, then,” “My tastes are very singular,” and “I had a rough start in life” are sure to ring many readers’ bells. Thankfully, Anastasia Steele’s (Dakota Johnson) inner monologue — and goddess — stays in her head. Although one “Holy cow” does slip in.
Here are five significant differences between the book and the film version:
Anastasia knows how to use email. One of the most confounding things about Ana in the book was her technological virginity. She didn’t even have an email address before meeting Christian, and somehow got through college without a computer. In the film, Ana’s computer is broken, which is why her new master buys her a laptop. And Christian’s Blackberry is replaced with an iPhone.
The class differences have disappeared. The book spends a lot of time focused on how Ana, just a regular girl from Georgia, is intimidated by Christian’s wealth — and his elaborate gifts’ price tags. She is shocked when he upgrades her to first class on a flight. But the movie depicts Ana as upper middle class, especially when it showcases her mother’s life of luxury. Ana doesn’t need to borrow her roommates’ clothes to impress him; she just pulls out dresses from her own closet.
No fitness or beauty regime in the contract. One of Ana’s major stipulations in their S&M contract is that she refuses to eat when he tells her to, and she will only see a personal trainer three times a week — not his requested four — because she hates exercise. But Christian isn’t obsessive about her waxes or workouts in the movie. It’s a relief.
A few toys are missing. As has been reported, the infamous tampon scene wasn’t even considered for the movie. The ben wa balls have also disappeared, as have the beads on the end of the suede flogger.
Anastasia is completely charming. Most of the criticism of the book has to do with Ana’s vanilla, generic and cheesy response to Christian’s world. She can’t stop exclaiming, “Double crap!” and “Wow” whenever he says something unusual. But Johnson is goofy, funny and portrays the heroine as a much more capable, real and powerful character.
And that’s not to bad now, is it?
