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The Best Book-to-Movie Adaptations For Film Buffs and Bookworms Alike
Calling all bookworms and movie-lovers! If you’re having a hard time between finding a good movie to watch or re-reading your favorite book, you’re in luck because Netflix has a trove of must-see book-to-movie adaptations. When you don’t have time to read a whole book but want to see what all the hype is about, you can turn on one of these great flicks. From heartwarming rom-coms like The Notebook to historical dramas like Mudbound, there’s something for everyone here. Read ahead to see the best book-to-movie adaptations on Netflix, and get ready to binge!
– Additional reporting by Lauren Harano
Related: If Your Sense of Humor Is a Little Twisted, These 16 Dark Comedies on Netflix Are Perfect For You
Same Kind of Different as Me
An international art dealer must befriend a homeless man in order to save his marriage to his wife, which puts all three of them on a life-changing journey.
Watch Same Kind of Different as Me on Netflix now.
Lost Girls
This film is based on the true story of Mari Gilbert and her quest to find her missing daughter Shannan.
Watch Lost Girls on Netflix now.
One Day
Starring the incredibly sexy duo of Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, this movie takes a working-class idealist and a rich playboy and visits them on the same day each year for 20 years until they finally, inevitably realize just how in love they are. The result is just as satisfying as you can imagine.
Watch One Day on Netflix now.
The Notebook
Though we’re sure you’re familiar with this adaptation of the 1996 Nicholas Sparks novel, watching Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams‘s turbulent and insanely magnetic multiyear love story never gets old (or any less hot).
Watch The Notebook on Netflix now.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
A socially awkward teen named Charlie has always watched life happen from the sidelines until two energetic students decide to become his mentors and help him along the way.
Watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower on Netflix now.
Anna Karenina
Jude Law and Keira Knightley star in the film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic forbidden love story. Knightley plays a Russian aristocrat and wife of a senior statesman who embarks on a torrid love affair that eventually becomes her undoing.
Watch Anna Karenina on Netflix now.
Stardust
A Neil Gaiman film adaptation is a film we support 100 percent. Stardust features a star-studded cast, including Sienna Miller, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, and many more. It’s a fantasy film that follows a young man named Tristan who must return a fallen star to his beloved in return for her hand in marriage.
Watch Stardust on Netflix now.
Cloud Atlas
Admittedly, the film adaptation of David Mitchell’s prized novel is pretty out there, but Tom Hanks manages to weave quite a story in Cloud Atlas. Essentially, it’s a story that spans multiple generations and explores the concept of how our actions set off ripples in the future.
Watch Cloud Atlas on Netflix now.
Howards End
Based on the 1910 classic novel by E.M. Forster, Howards End is a ’90s drama that still holds up. It’s got some serious Pride and Prejudice vibes, and the cast packs a serious cinematic punch in this Edwardian London period piece.
Watch Howards End on Netflix now.
Berlin Syndrome
You’ll never want to date again after watching this thriller, which follows a young Australian backpacker exploring Berlin on a solo trip who decides to join a sexy local to his place for a one-night stand, and it all seems to be going well – until the next morning, when she discovers that her new Berlin lover has no intention of letting her leave.
Watch Berlin Syndrome on Netflix now.
The Angel
Not only is this thriller based on a book, but it’s also based on a true story. Amid the high tensions of the 1970s, an Egyptian man becomes a spy for Israel, walking a fine (and dangerous) line in hopes of achieving lasting peace between the two nations.
Watch The Angel on Netflix now.
Brain on Fire
Writer Susannah Cahalan has her life turned upside down when she begins experiencing strange neurological symptoms. When she goes for medical help, she’s given a terrifying diagnosis and faces a lifetime in a psychiatric ward, but one doctor suspects something else is wrong and fights to help her find out what’s really going on.
Watch Brain on Fire on Netflix now.
The Fundamentals of Caring
A writer suffering from writer’s block after a personal loss winds up as the caregiver for a sarcastic teenage boy with muscular dystrophy. When they set out on a road trip, picking up a couple of new friends along the way, they wind up learning a lot more about each other and finding new things to look forward to in life.
Watch The Fundamentals of Caring on Netflix now.
Horse Girl
An introverted horse-lover begins experiencing a series of increasingly bizarre events and dreams that seem to become real. Even more unsettling: the more she tries to figure out what’s going on, the more she can’t remember.
Watch Horse Girl on Netflix now.
The Little Prince
This beautifully animated movie is based on a famous French novella for children. It’s a story-within-a-story, as an aviator tells a girl about a young prince who travels across the universe, visiting many planets and making poignant observations about life, love, friendship, and loss.
Watch The Little Prince on Netflix now.
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
There are tons of screen versions of Mowgli, the little boy from Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, but this one is a little bit different. Based on a later collection of short stories, the movie follows Mowgli from his discovery as an infant to his fate as the one who could potentially bring peace to the jungle.
Watch Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle on Netflix now.
22 July
In 2011, 77 people died in a series of terrorist attacks in Norway, which were described in a nonfiction book in 2013. 22 July, named after the date of the attacks, follows the terrorist’s actions as well as the desperate attempts of ordinary people to escape and survive.
Watch 22 July on Netflix now.
Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
Third-grader Judy Moody embarks on a summer adventure with her brother, Stink, and Aunt Opal in this family fun movie.
Watch Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer on Netflix now.
Unspeakable Acts
In this 1990 made-for-TV movie, a husband-and-wife team of child psychologists from the University of Miami are sent to investigate a series of horrendous acts of sexual abuse at Country Walk Day Care Center in 1984. The movie was made a few years after the high-profile case against Frank Fuster and Ileana Fuster, who ran the day care, went to trial.
Watch Unspeakable Acts on Netflix now.
The Giant Pear
This sweet movie follows an elephant and a cat who are on a journey of a lifetime to save the missing mayor of their town.
Watch The Giant Pear on Netflix now.