The 2015 critically acclaimed novel “Luckiest Girl Alive” by Jessica Knoll was a bestseller. The film adaptation was announced in February 2021 with Mila Kunis attached to portray Ani and Knoll to pen the screenplay. The film was released in October 2022 and Kunis has received praise for her performance even if the film itself has seen mixed reviews. The story includes some very tough topics which should make the reader/film watcher uncomfortable, but there are some stark differences between the film and the novel. It is normal to expect changes with the switch from the page to the screen, and since Knoll penned the screenplay, she clearly had creative control over these changes. So, what are the things in the movie that you didn’t know were changed from the book? Today’s video will list down all that, but before anything else, make sure that you subscribe to our channel and you smash that notification bell for more updates on this. Now, let’s dive in!
The story follows Ani who seems to have everything going for her. She has a great job in New York, a wealthy and handsome fiancé, and is living the life she always dreamed of. But she has a dark past. And the past not only involves brutal harassment, but also a tragic school shooting at her former prep school. Her perfect life is in jeopardy when a new documentary is being made about the events surrounding the shooting, thereby triggering Ani into confronting her violent past in order to proceed with her bright future. Here’s every detail you missed in the latest film adaptation of Luckiest Girl Alive.
Ani's Backstory Is Missing
In the book, we learn that Ani went to a private school, Mount St. Teresa. It was there, with two of her friends, that she got in trouble for smoking substances, prompting her transfer to Bradley, a prestigious public school on Philadelphia's Main Line. She makes friends with Arthur and "The Shark" there, before getting in with the cool crowd, inching her way to popularity before being taken advantage of by a group of boys, spiraling her and her high school experience slowly but surely out of control. Her relationship with her mom and father - both strained in the book, is hardly captured. Her father isn't even a character in the film. The things that contribute to Ani wanting to fit in and change, the attempts she makes at doing so, like her dying her dark hair blonde, just aren't there.
Ani doesn’t write about her experiences in The New York Times in the book
The Documentary and Dean
In the book, the fact that a documentary is being made is a catalyst for a lot that happens. It forces Ani to think back on the traumatic events, reunites her with Mr. Larson, and it also brings out some stark problems in her relationship that she may not have realized before. In the film, the documentary is the main throughline. The documentarian, Aaron, has a pretty good-sized supporting role and repeatedly asks Ani questions that she doesn’t seem ready to answer.
Ani didn't write an exposé in the book (and she and Luke didn't break up over it).
Ani almost marries Luke in the book and splits up with him for a different reason than she does in the movie. In the book, Ani almost married Luke but just as she is about to go through with it, she finds out Luke got rid of a framed photo of Arthur and his father, which Ani stole in their last interaction before the shooting. After Luke admitted he broke it during a night out with friends, Ani realized how little he cared about her past and how much he did not accept her.
Ani then makes the decision to break up with Luke and live her life independently. In the movie, Ani tells Luke about her article in The New York Times magazine, exposing Dean and the others. Luke is very against the exposé and in that moment, Ani decides to choose her career and life over the life she could have had with Luke.
The Ending
The end of the film and the book involve Ani’s confrontation with Dean and her pending wedding with Luke. In the film, Ani finally does get her moment with Dean and is able to get him to admit the assault and that he knew she wasn’t responsible for the shooting. She records it and in turn, decides to write a tell-all piece for the New York Times, thereby exposing Dean’s fraud.
Ani is still triumphant in both endings, but for different reasons, and while she may not be the "luckiest" girl alive, she emerges changed, ready to give up the idea that creating a perfect life will erase the traumas she endured as a teen.
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