I've got one!

Bridges of Madison County.

The book by Robert James Waller--and I apologize in advance to all its many fans, who are legion--was awful. Over-written, stylized to the point of a burlesque...I could never figure out how it stayed on top of the best-seller list for so long. I suspect it had a lot to do with giving aging baby boomers a romance story focused on middle-age, rather than youth.

I'll give it one thing: it was short. But it should've been shorter.

The movie took hold of the story and eliminated many of its flaws.

• Gone were the sappy children and the ridiculous story of them finding the mother's diary and wanting to share it with the world because it was just so -sigh- wonderful. (Right. Tell me, if you found a diary of your mother's describing a fling she had while you were off with your Dad for a weekend, would you want to share her great love story with the world?)
• Gone was the long denouement, explaining way too much at the end. I think that the author was simply unwilling to let go of the story.
• Gone was the pretentious language and dialogue, which had given rise to so many satires. I think Doonesbury even ran a parody of the book, didn't it?

As director, Clint Eastwood ferreted out touching and believable parts of the book--even bits that were overlooked in readings. That wonderful, pivotal moment where Francesca, sitting in her husband's truck, sees Kincaid's truck ahead of them and watches it at a red light. That was sheer poetry, as the windshield wipers went back and forth, the rain came down, and her hand gripped the door handle, while her husband didn't even notice.

Eastwood and Meryl Streep bring the characters alive; I felt little for them in the book. I couldn't get past the ridiculous dialogue. The photography was wonderful as well.

There aren't many books that are outdone by the movie version, but this one was.