When I reviewed Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging, Bobbie at ‘Til We Read Again commented that her girls liked the movie. Wait… there’s a movie?

Well, friends, yes there is. A little British production, probably never saw screen time here in the US, but there it is. The hilarious diaries of Georgia Nicholson out there for everyone to see.

Except… they weren’t so hilarious on screen.

While many of the choice plot elements were there — the pimento olive costume or shaving of the eyebrows or the kissing lesson, for example — the movie ditched the tongue-in-cheek observations of Georgia’s diary for a more sweet teen-romance. Not that I minded the whole romance bit; they made Robbie and Tom a bit younger than in the book (which was good; an 18 year old dating a 14 year old was a bit much for me) and I have to admit that Aaron Johnson is a cutie. But, it wasn’t funny. The book was celebrating the awkwardness of being 14 and not exactly knowing quite how to deal with boys. And without the funny it just becomes well, just awkward and embarrassing.

It also didn’t help that I found Georgia and her friends to be completely and utterly annoying. Perhaps this was less of the fault of the actresses and more of the “it’s just not funny” line. Whatever the reason, I found myself cringing when they talked and giggled, and not at all sympathetic to their troubles and problems. I rolled my eyes more often than I did in the book, where Georgia was annoying, but somewhat sympathetic by the end.

Speaking of the end, they completely changed the book. I’m not sure I minded much that there was a big, huge birthday party in a club and that Lindsey totally got her comeuppance (though yanking her false boobs out of her dress was a bit harsh). But still, in this case I will complain that it wasn’t the book.

Verdict: Just read the book. (Though if you saw the movie first, the book is SO much better.)