Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Luckiest Girl Alive.The 2015 critically acclaimed novel Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll was a bestseller. The story follows Ani who seems to have everything going for her. She has a great job in New York, a wealthy and handsome fiancé, and is living the life she always dreamed of. But she has a dark past. And the past not only involves a brutal sexual assault, but also a tragic school shooting at her former prep school. Her perfect life is in jeopardy when a new documentary is being made about the events surrounding the shooting, thereby triggering Ani into confronting her violent past in order to proceed with her bright future.
The film adaptation was announced in February 2021 with Mila Kunis attached to portray Ani and Knoll to pen the screenplay. The film was released in October 2022 and Kunis has received praise for her performance even if the film itself has seen mixed reviews. The story includes some very tough topics which should make the reader/film watcher uncomfortable, but there are some stark differences between the film and the novel. It is normal to expect changes with the switch from the page to the screen, and since Knoll penned the screenplay, she clearly had creative control over these changes. However, here are four that are worth noting.
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Mr. Larson and Tifani's Relationship
Ani’s relationship with her teacher, Mr. Larson (Scoot McNairy) was very downplayed in the film version. In the book, Tiffani (Ani’s full name) trusted Mr. Larson more than any adult figure in her life. Her life prior to prep school is explored a little more in the book, but it is indicated in both versions that she and her parents had a difficult relationship. When Tiffani is brutally sexually assaulted by her classmates, it is Mr. Larson she turns to as she does not want to discuss this with her parents. When the two run into each other many years later, they bond over their participation in the documentary and their mutual attraction is palpable, an attraction that may have always been there.
In the film, Mr. Larson is still the person Tiffani turns to, but it doesn't go beyond him helping her report it to the administration. He is fired, consequently, and her mother (Connie Britton) is infuriated that she could embarrass them. When Ani and Mr. Larson run into each other at dinner many years later, it seems their reunion ends there. It is a small, but significant storyline to leave out as it is clear that young Tiffani was in desperate need of support and Mr. Larson provided that. In the book, their relationship borders on inappropriate when she is young, but when she is older she is forced to question if her attraction to him is eternal gratitude or actual chemistry.
The Documentary and Dean
In the book, the fact that a documentary is being made is a catalyst for a lot that happens. It forces Ani to think back on the traumatic events, reunites her with Mr. Larson, and it also brings out some stark problems in her relationship that she may not have realized before. In the film, the documentary is the main throughline. The documentarian, Aaron (Dalmar Abuzeid), has a pretty good-sized supporting role and repeatedly asks Ani questions that she doesn’t seem ready to answer. Also, in the book, it is quite a surprise to find that Dean (Alex Barone) is not only alive, but he is wheelchair bound and wants to talk to her about what happened. In the film, she is quite aware Dean is involved as he has taken the events and made a career out of speaking about them and pushing for gun safety laws. Dean has also come out with statements that he believes that Ani could have conspired with the shooter, trying to provoke her into a conversation. Aaron really wants to film their conversation and Dean’s promised apology, but Ani will not agree. The film focuses way more on Dean and the documentary throughout the film instead of focusing on Ani's journey to her decision to do the film and meet with Dean.
The Shooter
The character of Arthur is presented in two very different ways. In the book, Arthur is one of the first friends Tiffani makes at her new school. He is on oddball, almost a stereotypical trope of an outcast. As Tiffani becomes better friends with the popular kids, Arthur, and his friend Ben kind of get left behind. However, after the assault, she runs to them knowing full well that they despise all those guys too. In jest, she does chat with them about how nice it would be to see them pay the consequences even if they never will.
In the film, Arthur (Thomas Barbusca) isn’t one of the popular kids, but also, he doesn’t read as an outcast. He reads as more of an Indie kid that everyone thinks is pretty funny. He just seems like a lost soul but with no ill intent. His violent pivot with Ben (David Webster) turning from teens blowing off steam and bitching about the popular crowd into brutal attackers is very abrupt. But maybe that’s even scarier. Also, the film omits when Ani jokingly (?) contributes to all the people she’d like to see have bad things happen to them. Maybe Dean wasn’t telling the whole truth, but his story wasn’t exactly a lie either. In both versions, the attackers appear to be working with her until she ultimately takes them down in the midst of the shooting. Is she a hero or did she use them as pawns? Both the book and the film leave that up to the audience to decide.
The Ending
The end of the film and the book involve Ani’s confrontation with Dean and her pending wedding with Luke (Finn Wittrock). In the film, Ani finally does get her moment with Dean and is able to get him to admit the rape and that he knew she wasn’t responsible for the shooting. She records it and in turn, decides to write a tell-all piece for the New York Times, therein exposing Dean’s fraud. She becomes another face of the growing movement of survivors of sexual assault. Luke cannot handle the publicity, and she cannot handle him not being able to accept her whole self and the two part ways. Granted, times have changed a bit since the book was first written and Knoll used the topical subject to bring a more current (and possibly more gratifying) ending to the story.
In the book, she does get the confrontation with Dean and does record the conversation, but as to what she’ll use that for is unclear. Maybe she just needed to hear him admit it. Her relationship does end, but she comes to the same realization without the article. So, ultimately, both end with her starting a new chapter, so to speak. In the film, she faces both support from women in similar situations and opposition from those who support Dean and think his voice being taken away in the gun control fight wasn’t worth it. Regardless, both endings are valid and both will provoke many uncomfortable conversations that need to be had.
