SLC-S25/W2-Movie Snapshots|Book to Screen (The Smart Money Woman)

Do you think, an idea is better written as a book/novel or acted out as a movie? And which do you prefer?

I am a book nerd, so Yes I would always prefer books to Movies. I love movies, no doubt. But books will always have my heart.

Books are often better than movie adaptations because they either add extras of what is not in the book or remove some major parts of a book leaving unsatisfied.

ebook cover of the book

Most times, books are better because of the following

• Time strain. Everything that's written in the book might not be able to make it into 90-120 minutes of a film.
• Failure to bring the characters to life: Unless you are bringing in a really good actor who knows how to interpret and dissect every mannerism outlined by the character in the book, it might be hard to bring this character to life.
• Books take their time with the narrative they want to take: Character development is often felt in a book rather than in movies. Unless it is a series, most movies tend to rush and won't give you time to relate better with the characters.
• Books make your imagination come to life while movies engage your senses and the perfect feel of show, don't tell.

In some exceptions, if the movie is acted out well, it's better than the book.

Let's talk about The Smart Money Woman

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When I was looking for a book to read to help me do better with my finances, a friend recommended The Smart Money Woman. Did I love it? Absolutely. I had to read it twice to note down things I've probably missed. It hit home because this was someone from my country unlike other finance books written by other countries.

screenshot from the ebook version

The author understood the struggles we face handling our money and gave us a solution through the book.

It depicts the everyday struggle Nigerian women face to make ends meet and also deals with Black tax on top of everything.

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The movie tells of 5 ladies;
Zuri, a well-to-do lady or so we thought until we saw her having a bad financial period

• 1st, her boyfriend, who supports most of her extravagant lifestyle, gets engaged with another lady, leaving her heartbroken.
• 2nd, She realizes her car is broken and has no means to get to work.
• 3rd, She has to pay the service charge for her expensive apartment.
• 4th, Her landlord is on her neck to pay her rent.

Tami, who lives in the soft girl era and never lacks money because she either runs back to her Daddy or rich boyfriend of the moment to support her fashion design company.

Lara is a really good lady, but is being drowned by being the sole provider of not just her immediate family but relatives as well, courtesy of her Mom, who wouldn't stop asking on their behalf.

Ladun, who is represented as having everything anyone can dream of. Rich family, good-looking husband, you name it.

Adesuwa, a great lawyer, but the breadwinner of her family because her husband never seems to do any good and a crazy mother-in-law.

The Author, Arese Ugwu knows her stuff and tells her story well and they did well to bring these ladies stories to the screen.

screenshot of the ebook version

The strength of the movie

• The movie took apart most of the dialogues and stories in the book and brought it to life.
• Friendship: The friendship between the women was wonderful. They stood out on their own and let their friend be the best they could in their corners.
• The Support System was strong. They held on to each other. Teaching me as a woman to have friends who have my back and can chip in when a need arises.
• Casting was on point. Each woman knew how to carry out their role well. I don't think I would have wished for any other ladies to act like this.
• To be intentional about your money. Each scene had a financial tip dropped, which was so helpful. I think in case you didn't get it in the film, you can take note when it comes up.

The weakness of the movie

• Sometimes the movie filled up scenes with unnecessary things that could have been avoided.
• The product placement that was really obvious, the chit-chat that we could have avoided.
• The love triangle that I didn't even understand the essence when it was not in the book.

Conclusion

Smart Money Woman is great as a novel but lacks the empathy I needed as a movie. Don't get me wrong, they did exceptionally well, but for someone who read and reread the book, loving every second of it, I wanted more than they gave.

The series was not a waste, but I still love the book more because it gave me room to fill in my imagination.

I invite @peachyladiva , @jilljie , and @etiluv to take part in this contest.