Stephen king book and movie biting the bullet movie#
Stephen king book and movie biting the bullet full#

Stephen king book and movie biting the bullet movie#

Yes, we understand that there are seven main characters in It, not including the clown-and that the movie already clocks in at nearly two-and-a-half hours without a bucket of more nuanced Beverly scenes. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with that-but one would think that for someone who has been through what Beverly has been through, the emotions underpinning these interactions would be confusing, complicated, and perhaps even painful.

Beverly hardly seems bothered by being called a slut, not just by the female bullies but also by a group of male bullies she also kisses not one but two of the Losers by the movie’s end. But though the movie makes it clear that her father is abusing her, it doesn’t really engage with the consequences of that trauma. Knowing that Beverly is a victim of this kind of abuse could add even more nuance to her anxieties about becoming a woman, as represented by the fountain of blood that erupts from her sink not long after she’s shown purchasing tampons. (King hints that Al Marsh is sexually interested in his daughter, but the implication is much more overt in the film.) Though we don’t actually see him touch her, it’s clear that Beverly’s main trauma is rooted in her father’s abuse-and unlike in the book, it’s sexual, not just physical. And then Beverly goes home-where her father goes from creepy to outright awful, straddling her and yelling in her face. Though Bev is dripping with literal trash water, he’s the one who seems off balance, sputtering and rambling about New Kids on the Block. The interaction doesn’t seem to affect her much shortly afterwards, she meets soon-to-be Loser Ben.

Stephen king book and movie biting the bullet full#

When we first meet Beverly, it seems as though the film has opted to replace the abuse she endures in the book with bullying at school: a bunch of girls call her a slut, then pour a trashcan full of wet garbage over her head. On its own, that would be a mild disappointment-but given how It treats Beverly up until this moment, that decision makes all too much sense.

In other words, Beverly’s heroic moment has been taken from her instead, she gets temporarily thrown into the role of damsel in distress. In fact, it’s Bill-whose insistent belief in himself and refusal to believe in Pennywise-who ultimately defeats the clown, using Mike’s unloaded cattle gun. When Beverly finally does fight alongside her friends, she plays no more significant role than any other member of the group.