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May 3, 2006

Book #23: Strip Tease

We saw a trailer for Hoot last week and it reminded me that I wanted to read some Carl Hiaasen (it did not make me want to see the movie). And lo-and-behold I had Strip Tease lying around.

Is there something in the water down there in Florida? Hiaasen's books seem to be firmly rooted in the Elmore Leonard model -- huge casts of odd characters trying to make their way through the depths of borderline-criminal Florida society. (Come to think of it -- Dave Barry's Big Trouble and Tricky Business were the same -- it must be the water.) But there are much worse models to follow and Hiaasen does a masterful job with this story of the chaos that ensues when a US Congressman tries to defend the honor of a stripper by nearly beating a man to death with a champagne bottle.

Oh, and speaking of movies, I didn't realize until I was nearly done with the book that it had been adapted into the Demi Moore movie of the same title. Was that movie terrible or just lackluster?-- it's been so long since I've seen it that I forget. No matter, the book is neither.

Posted by Fuzzy at May 3, 2006 11:29 AM

Comments

That movie was horrible beyond horrible. Supposedly Demi Moore was inspired by the book and got breast implants before filming. I don't remember a lot of the specifics, other than thinking it wasn't nearly as smart a movie as it thought it was.

Posted by: Dan Telfer [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 3, 2006 11:51 AM

Which is extra dumb if that's why she got implants, because the book reiterates many times that Erin (the main character) is a great dancer but has small breasts.

Posted by: Fuzzy Gerdes [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 3, 2006 11:53 AM

I read an interview with Hiaasen (or perhaps saw him on 60 minutes, possibly both) and he talked about how Florida really is overpopulated with crazy people. Crooked politicians, coked up model wannabes, swamp land developers, the whole shebang.

Posted by: DanIzzo [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 3, 2006 12:59 PM

Okay, I looked it up. She got breast implants long before this movie, but Demi apparently did a lot of press saying how empowering she thought the role was, the character, etc and it was the press who handed her head back to her, bringing up the very point you made about her having implants and playing a supposedly flat chested character.

Posted by: Dan Telfer [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 3, 2006 1:50 PM

So, the movie HOOT was mentioned, then breast implants. Hmmmmm A movie about endangered hooters.

Posted by: tricia at May 3, 2006 9:12 PM