18 Book-To-Movie Differences In "Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between"
As a longtime fan of Jennifer E. Smith's books, I was thrilled when it was announced that Netflix would be releasing the film adaptations of Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (and they'll also be releasing the adaptation of another of her books, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, in the future!).
And as a longtime Jordan Fisher fangirl, I was even more excited when it was announced that he'd be playing Aidan alongside Talia Ryder as Clare. The cast also features Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Nico Hiraga (Booksmart), and Jennifer Robertson (Schitt's Creek).
Here's your official SPOILER WARNING for everything below this point.
1.The movie opens with the first hello between Clare and Aidan, which is different from the novel.
In the book, the prologue begins with Aidan turning up on Clare's door for the start of their last date. There's a lot more flashbacks in general in the film, while the book strictly takes place over the 12-ish hours of their last date.
2.In the book, Aidan and Clare have been together for almost two years before their breakup night.
The movie changes this to about 10 months. Their breakup also happens much earlier in the book, a little under halfway through while the movie waits until close to the end.
3.Music is a huge part of Aidan's life in the film, but that's not part of the book.
I assume that when they cast Jordan Fisher, this was added, and I'm really glad they had Aidan perform. It adds a really cool layer to his character when you see it onscreen.
4.In the book, Clare was the one who made the list of stops for the evening.
In the movie, it's much more of an Aidan surprise night. I think for the way they're characterized in the movie, it does make sense that Aidan came up with the list, as it feels more like a plea rather than in the book, where it feels like a last hurrah.
5.While Clare is pretty sure about the future and heading off on her own, the night in the book is more about will they break up or stay together rather than just the last night before the breakup.
For the first half of the book, the big question they're both asking is what they want to do after the night is over. Clare from the very start of the movie (and their relationship) sets an expiration date.
6.Stella and Scotty are present earlier in the evening in the book.
They pop up at the pizza place, stop number two, whereas in the movie, Clare calls Stella in closer to the middle. I love Scotty and Stella, and while I wish they got more to do in the movie, I do think their presence adds a lot to the scenes they are in.
7.In the book, Aidan plays lacrosse and will continue to do so in college.
His parents are more supportive in the movie (in the book, they were Harvard or bust and aren't even going to drive him to college), though they are both doctors and want him to go pre-med.
8.In the book, Aidan and Clare drive his sister, Riley, to the bowling alley with them.
Though Riley does appear in the movie, I don't think her name comes up. In the book, she's hopeful that even if Clare and Aidan break up, she and Clare can still keep in touch.
9.Aidan and Scotty have a verbal spat at the bowling alley in the book.
He then also points out to Clare that she's never said she loves him after she reveals they're at the bowling alley since it's the first place he said he loved her. I think maybe the bowling alley scenes are the ones replaced by the scenes in the school in the movie, where they go to let Scotty add a handprint to the senior wall.
10.The phrase Clare uses to get around saying, "I love you," is different in the film.
In the book, she says, "I dove you," while in the film after Aidan tells her he loves her the first time, she replies with "Easy breezy."
11.The fight at the party in the book is actually a physical fight between Aidan and Scotty, rather than the breakup fight between Clare and Aidan.
Clare also unintentionally gets hurt during the fight. It's definitely a low moment for Aidan in the book that makes him realize how he's actually feeling about the end of everything, but it would have been hard to watch.
12.Clare and Aidan's fight about his lack of communication — re: college — is for different reasons in the book (and happens earlier).
In the movie, Aidan tells Clare he didn't apply to Berkeley, but really he did and didn't get in. In the book, he didn't mention that he chose not to apply to Harvard.
13.An unexpected stop occurs after Scotty wanders out of the party and falls asleep in the neighbor's flowerbeds, getting taken down to the police station.
He gets let off with a warning, but he also grabs the old ink pads and winds up covered in fingerprints when the others pick him up. It would have definitely been a funny scene to see, but I do like the handprints at the school scene instead. In the film, their unexpected stop is at the hospital when Aidan gets hurt climbing the fence to get away from the school alarms.
14.In the film, Stella hopes something will happen between her and Tess, but she has a different love interest in the book...
...as it turns out, she and Scotty had secretly been together for about a month prior to the start of the book! Scotty also has a different love interest in the film, as he and Aidan's sister, Riley, make out at the party. I definitely love this change, and the possibility of both of their new relationships.
15.After parting ways with Stella and Scotty, Clare and Aidan head to the basement and play a few intense rounds of ping-pong.
It's a super-fun scene, though I understand that logistically it probably made sense to cut it rather than try to figure out how to practice and film a lot of ping-pong.
16.The lake scene toward the end begins with Clare waiting on the shore while Aidan heads to get Rusty.
She ends up jumping in after him when she doesn't see and or hear him for a while, and then still has her first "I love you" confession to him there.
17.While Clare's Dartmouth future is always a certain, Aidan's post-grad life is different in both versions.
In the book, Aidan is heading to UCLA, while in the film he decides to take a gap year in LA to pursue music.
18.And lastly, the hello at the end of the movie is in person, while in the book it's over mail.
Clare picks up a surprise package at college, and when she opens it, she realizes it's a bowling ball. Inside one of the holes is a note asking if it's later yet. It's super sweet and wraps the book up beautifully, though I do love that they chose to show the pair seeing each other again and saying hello at end the film.
