"One of the few movies that lives up to the potential of the book."
The Shining. Silence of the Lambs. Those are the only two movies I can think of, besides Trainspotting, that even approach justifying the book. And the book itself is damn good. Who cares that it's written in Scottish dialect? I didn't. Like A Clockwork Orange, the language just added to the originality of the book. And the movie, again like A Clockwork Orange, is much easier to follow.That doesn't mean it's better! But it's definitely as good.
Ewan McGregor plays a Scottish heroin addict (Renton), who is obsessed with Iggy Pop (that doesn't come through in the movie as much as the book, though). Several attempts to quit punctuate the movie, including maybe one of the most surreal, disgusting, and hilarious in the way that you don't know whether to laugh or gag, scenes in filmmaking: Imagine swimming down a toilet to retrieve your suppository. Gah.
Imagine a dead baby crawling on the ceiling.
Imagine waking up next to a gorgeous woman, only to find out she's 16 and getting ready for school after a night of clubbing and sex.
Imagine getting subtitles at an English-language movie. ("What are you talking about?" "Football. What are you talking about?" "Shopping.")
Imagine walking away from it all. Imagine trying to choose.
I cried reading this book. I laughed and cried. All the way through. The movie was even worse. Better! I mean, the emotions were brought out more. The direction was fabulous and every scene was shot in an attempt to emulate the characters' states of mind. All in all, fabulous. And if you liked Trainspotting the movie, read the book. And if you like the book, try to track down a copy of Marabou Stork Nightmares...it's by the same author. Absolutely the most frightening thing I've ever read. Silence of the Lambs had me peeking around cars. Marabou Stork Nightmares kept me awake and jittering for weeks, fearing what I'd dream up.Trainspotting. It's on my list.