15 Book to Movie Adaptations Streaming on Netflix Now

In case you haven't heard, Martin Scorsese recently released yet another mob film featuring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. But you may not have realized the mob movie was based on the 2004 nonfiction book I Heard You Paint Houses. Both the book and film attempt to answer the question of what happened to Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), a Teamster who disappeared in 1975. It's unclear just how "true" this true crime story is—but either way, it makes for a great story.

Neil Gaiman’s dark fantasy springs to life in this stylish animated feature. While exploring the nooks and crannies of her new home, young Coraline discovers a seemingly perfect parallel world—populated by button-eyed doubles of her family. But we all know trouble lurks behind those shiny black eyes. 

In 1998, Hunter S. Thompson's most famous book was reimagined as the black comedy road trip film starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. The film was a box office dud that polarized critics, but has since become a cult classic. Featuring cameos from Debbie Reynolds and Hunter S. Thompson himself, the film is a trippy, high jink-filled ride. 

Loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe, The Danish Girl is a biographical romantic drama film set in 1920s Copenhagen. Based on the 2001 novel of the same name, Eddie Redmayne stars as Elbe, one of the first known people to have undergone sexual reassignment surgery. His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, while his co-star, Alicia Wegener, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. 

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Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet deliver powerful performances in this critically acclaimed film based on Richard Yates’ novel. Set in 1950s suburban Connecticut, Frank (DiCaprio) and April (Winslet) vow never to lead a dull life together. Yet as the years go by, they find themselves slipping into the predictable domestic confines they once despised. 

This searing period drama shines a stark light on Jim Crow-era south. Based on Hillary Jordan’s debut novel and starring Mary J. Blige, Carey Mulligan, Jason Mitchell, and Garrett Hedlund, the film follows two families as they endure the hardships and hatreds of post-World War II Mississippi.

Author Emma Donohue served as screenwriter for this adaptation of her bestselling novel about a mother’s unbreakable love for her son. Brie Larson plays Joy, a woman kidnapped and held captive in a cramped room. She gives birth to a boy, Jack, and does her best to raise her child within their constrained surroundings. When the two finally break free, they face the outside world as mother and son for the first time. 

Based on Uzodinma Iweala’s debut novel and starring Idris Elba and Abraham Attah, this brutal vision of war tracks the heartbreaking journey of Agu (Attah), a young boy forced into life as a child soldier. 

Gather the family for this gorgeously animated adaptation of the Antoine de Saint-Exupery classic about a pilot who crash lands in the desert and meets a bright and mysterious boy from another planet. 

Though Dumplin' is based on a young adult novel , it tells a story that will resonate with viewers (and readers) of all ages. Danielle Macdonald plays Willowdean Dickson, who is nicknamed Will by her friends and Dumplin' by her mother, Rosie (Jennifer Aniston). Rosie is a former beauty queen who is still entrenched in the pageantry world, leaving Will to be mostly raised by her Aunt Lucy. But after Lucy passes, Will must figure out how to rebuild her relationship with her mother.  

Based on Laura Esquivel’s bestselling magical realism novel, this delicious tale of love and family stars Lumi Cavazos and Marco Leonardi. Tita (Cavazos) is in love with Pedro (Leonardi)—yet as the youngest daughter of her clan, she’s forbidden to marry. When Pedro marries Tita’s older sister, Tita’s emotions manifest themselves in magical ways in the dishes she prepares. 

Set during the early years of Nazi Germany’s occupation of France, this World War II drama is based on Irène Némirovsky’s posthumously published novel. Michelle Williams plays Lucile, a French villager whose husband is away at war. When a German regiment moves into town, Lucile develops a reluctant romance with the German soldier (Matthias Schoenaerts) occupying her home. 

Starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, this moving tale of autumn love is based on Kent Haruf’s literary romance novel. Addie (Fonda) and Louis (Redford) are neighbors whose spouses have both passed away. They strike up a platonic relationship to combat the loneliness. Soon, however, their relationship blossoms into something more than just friendship, and Addie and Louis must work through their grief if they hope to move forward.  

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Steven Spielberg’s unforgettable World War II drama is based on Thomas Keneally’s historical novel, which is itself inspired by real-life events. The movie stars Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, a German businessman and member of the Nazi party who sets out to rescue Jews from the Holocaust by employing them at his enamelware factory. 

Class, wealth, and greed collide as three families vie for power in this historical romantic comedy set against the backdrop of Edwardian Britain. Based on E.M Forster’s classic novel, the film stars Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, and Emma Thompson.