Book to Movie Review: One for the Money

Summary: 

Unemployed and newly-divorced Stephanie Plum lands a job at her cousin's bail-bond business, where her first assignment puts her on the trail of a wanted local cop from her romantic past. 

Click here to read my review of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

Review:

I went into One for the Money with great trepidation.  Seeing this movie was one of the few times I got to get out alone (I have a 10-month old baby girl) and I didn't want to "waste" my precious me-time on a bad book-to-movie adaptation.  All those fears were for naught, though, as I left the theater with a smile on my face.  

This movie was just as good as the book, if not even better.  The casting was perfect, just perfect.  I wasn't sure how Heigl would do as Stephanie Plum, but she was great.  She got her personality and quirks just right, and all without affecting a totally fake New Jersey accent.  And as for Ranger and Morelli, they are just about exactly how I pictured them while reading.  "Yummy" is all I can say!

The three main characters

The movie had the same trademark humor as the book, and I found myself laughing out loud several times.  I wondered how they would handle the plot, if the plot from book one was enough to base a movie on, and it was.  As far as I can remember (it's been a couple of years since I read One for the Money), the movie stayed true to the book.  In fact, watching One for the Money made me want to read the book again, which is an indicator of a successful book-to-movie adaptation.  

If you have not read any of the Stephanie Plum books, watching One for the Money is a great way to tell if you'll like the series.  I give the movie (and books) a strong recommendation!