I don't know why I've been on this chick-lit kick lately (try saying "chick-lit kick" five times fast) but it's been a fun little run of books.
Remember Me
? (not to be confused with the
Robert Pattinson movie.
.. the two are not related... it's just a common phrase) is a cute novel by Sophie Kinsella about dreadfully average Lexi Smart. She's a little overweight, has bad teeth, frizzy hair, a loser boyfriend and a lackluster career. Until she wakes up from a coma with the exact opposite of all that; now she has perfect teeth, perfect hair, a multi-millionaire model-perfect husband, a killer bod and a senior executive job.
One problem: she can't remember how she got there, how she became this perfect, brunette Barbie living her dream life. Sort of a novel version of
13 Going on 30
, and it is absolutely as fun as that movie was.
Let's start with the woman of the hour, Lexi Smart. She's only "average" for the first three pages of the novel, so in reality, we would have a picture-perfect actress play her, and just uglify her for the opening scene. She needs to be beautiful, but pretty unbelievable as a total jerk, you have to know that there's a humble girl deep down inside somewhere. I think of somebody like
Hayley Atwell  |
| imdb.com |
Lexi has three friends at the beginning of the story, Fi, Carolyn and Debs. They are all typically pretty late twenty, early thirty somethings. They don't have big roles, but they are important to show where Lexi came from, and just how different things are now.
Fi-
Naomie Harris  |
| modeling-news.bleeek.com |
Debs-
Sally Hawkins |
| yahoo.com |
Carolyn-
Martine McCutcheon  |
| hellomagazine.com |
Eric is Lexi's husband. His main feature is his stunning good looks. He's model-perfect. He's also completely boring yet fabulously wealthy. He is so dull that he can own a white suede couch and not worry about ruining it. He also bills his wife when she breaks a (admittedly very expensive) knick-knack in their living room. Charmer. I think some stone-cold fox like
Jamie Bamber would work here.
 |
| thetvaddict.com |
Byron works with Lexi and he's a total jerk. Lexi passed him on the corporate ladder, and he just can't get over it. So he goes out of his way to take advantage of her amnesia and sabotages her constantly. I see
Jared Harris |
| flicksandbits.com |
Amy is Lexi's little sister. She was twelve the last time Lexi remembers, but now she's fifteen and a bit of a criminal. She has to look a little rough, but it should be totally obvious that her bad-girl behavior is a desperate cry for attention, and there's a sweet kid lurking underneath. Somebody like
Eleanor Tomlinson  |
| screenrant.com |
Lexi's mum is a mess. Her husband philandered around for the duration of their marriage, and actually died overseas with his mistress. Oh, he also left his wife with all his bad debts, leaving her destitute as well as heartbroken. I think we need a woman who just looks lost, like she can't handle the hand life has dealt to her. Somebody like
Miranda Richardson  |
| telegraph.co.uk |
Rosalie is Lexi's "best friend" now that Lexi is all pretty and rich and successful. She, of course, knows nothing about Lexi, except for the fact that she is pretty, rich and successful. They go to the gym together. That is the extent of their friendship. Rosalie is pretty and snobby and selfish. In my mind, I saw somebody who looked a lot like
Sonya Walger  |
| flashingforward.blogspot.com |
Jon the architect, is, well, he's the guy that Lexi is having an affair with. I would call this a spoiler, except that it's revealed about fifty pages into the story, and it's so heavily hinted at prior to that, you can hardly call it a secret anyway. I am torn on this one. He's described as being "scruffy" and "arrogant" and when I hear "scruffy" and "arrogant" about a handsome British guy, I automatically think of
Jude Law |
| actingmagazine.com |
but, there's a problem with Jude Law. Jon, the character, is supposed to be this amazingly and surprisingly passionate guy. At first, Lexi thinks he's just a boor, but as time goes by, she can't deny that there's something intrinsically likable about him. He's relaxed and simple and easy to be with. He's funny and cultured and successful without being pompous or stuffy. So, while Jude Law is certainly a handsome bloke, I just can't see him here. He's too cold or... dispassionate or... something. I don't know. There's a spark of "fun" and "relaxed" missing from him. Instead, I pick
Paul Bettany  |
| reelmovienews.com |
Not as strikingly handsome, sure, but still easy on the eyes. And frankly, if you've seen both "
The Holiday
" and "
Wimbledon
" you'll have to agree that Paul Bettany is easier to believe as a love-sick puppy. Jude Law is more believable as a cad. Which, I don't disagree here, is fun to watch, but not really what we're looking for this time around.
by Sophie Kinsella is a fun, if typical, chick-lit novel. Emma, our star, is your average twenty-something living in London and trying to piece it all together. One day, she gets drunk, gets on a plane, and gets bumped to business class. During some terrible turbulence, she gets nervous 
