Movies Adapted from Books: What Works, What Doesn’t

I’m writing a feature-length screenplay. In the high-wire act of adapting a book into a movie, you have to know what to ditch and what to keep. “The English Patient” gets it right. “Jack Reacher” could’ve reached farther. (As a peek into the frustrations of adaptation and writing, I love Charlie Kaufman’s “Adaptation,” which is by no means an adaptation of the awesome Susan Orlean’s “The Orchid Thief.” But that’s a whole other topic.)