Fridae

Gabriel Garcia Marquez's entrancing novel Love in the Time of Cholera has been faithfully adapted into a movie. The problem is that it's too faithful for its own good. The film drags on and on and on, as it details the endless affairs of a poet (played by Javier Bardem) with several women, while the woman whom he really loves (played by Giovanna Mezzogiorno) is happily married.

In the pages of the novel, the repetitive nature of these affairs gives rise to a constant rumination on the nature of love and happiness. On screen, these affairs are depicted plainly � without the philosophical musings that accompany them in the book. Bereft of their significance, these affairs simply feel dull and repetitive.

Indeed, the narrative peaks and troughs of Marquez's long novel are as natural as the rhythms of life itself. But it doesn't lend itself well to the medium of film, which thrive on 3-act or 4-act structures. As a result, the film rambles and meanders with seemingly no end in sight.

Even though some of us here at Fridae are huge fans of Marquez, this adaptation is a huge disappointing bore.