I hated this movie 20 years ago but now I've grown up.

When this movie first came out, I was 20. I saw it and all I came away with was how terribly they had deviated from the novel. One of Maugham's great strengths was his characters and Bill Murray's character was basically a hybrid from two of the characters in the book. (For example, Isabel confessed her mistreatment of Sophie to the book's narrator, not to Larry. This bugged me to no end, perhaps because when I was 20 I couldn't understand anybody having Larry's spirituality, his forgiving nature and ability to transcend. Also, however, because I felt then and still do that very few can create characters like Maugham and you don't tamper with perfection.

I watched the movie again today and instead of being a critic, I was caught up in the beautiful and creative way they brought the story to life. Bill Murray's evolution was so well done. And, Isabel's cruel treatment of Sophie was so sharply drawn. I thought Theresa Russell did a wonderful job of portraying Sophie's conflict and despair. Maugham had a solid understanding of addiction and how it wrecks the human character and it was brilliantly brought forward in the movie.

It's been a long time since I reread the novel but it seemed to me that Larry had more than a bit of Bill Murray's since of humor, but it worked for him. He conveyed a man who was finding peace, human spirituality, acceptance, and even joy in the face of brutal circumstances. I remember reading somewhere that he wanted to do this movie very much and it seemed to me that his whole heart was in it ~ that was impressive.