I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be one of those times when the book is fantastic and the adaptation falls painfully short – and I say that even given my unholy love of dry British wit – though I opine based on advertising alone.
Based on a beloved children’s novel, Framed has been dressed up for the adult crowd, and it looks like a lot of the story’s charm was lost along the way, despite being adapted by the author himself. Still, fan of sarcasm that I am, I do plan on at least giving it a try…
You can watch the trailer here.
From PBS:
When flooding in London’s National Gallery precipitates the transfer of its treasured paintings to safety in an abandoned slate mine in the Welsh countryside, curator Quentin Lester (Trevor Eve, David Copperfield), a worshipper of art to the exclusion of people, squires his beloved masterpieces to safety, secretly pleased to have them all to himself. There, he encounters a lineup of quirky inhabitants including the spirited and lovely, if slightly nosey, local schoolteacher, Angharad (Eve Myles, Little Dorrit), and a 10-year-old boy, Dylan Hughes. In a chain of misunderstandings triggered by a wayward chicken, Quentin mistakes Dylan, whose father has just left the family in the face of financial woes, for an art connoisseur and kindred spirit. But when Dylan, in desperation, plans the art heist of the century with his criminal-mastermind-in-training sister Minnie, the results reveal how these paintings on the move have tremendous power to move people. Framed is based on the bestselling book by Frank Cottrell Boyce.
Book Description:
A few things to know about Dylan
He is the only boy in his entire town—so forget about playing soccer.
His best friends are two pet chickens.
His family owns the world’s only gas station/coffee house—their pies are to die for, but profits are in the hole.
Criminal instincts run in his family—his sister is a mastermind-in-training, and the tax men are after his father for questioning.
And one more small thing about nine-year-old Dylan—the crime of the century has just fallen into his lap.
With the same easy mix of wit, warmth, and wonder that made his debut novel, Millions, an award-winning international bestseller, Frank Cottrell Boyce tells the story of a boy who reminds an entire town of the power of art.
You can read an excerpt here.
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