Another Colleen Hoover book has hit the big screen, sigh.
Now, I won't tell you whether or not you should watch it. All I will say is that the movie reminded me quite a bit of "The Housemaid" starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. The blonde actresses are just replaced by brunettes Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway. Even the husbands in both films look oddly similar.
There was also apparently just enough runtime to include a random "Call Her Daddy" mention, with Alex Cooper making an appearance. And, if you're a fan of "Hot Ones" with host Sean Evans, you will also briefly catch him interviewing Hathaway's character.
If all of that is your cup of tea, then you'll enjoy this film. If not, I would stay clear of this particular BookTok adaptation.
Eagle-eyed fans may have also noticed that the movie did not stay completely true to the book. Here are some of the differences that we spotted and more details on the plot.
Where was 'Verity' filmed?
The house where Verity Crawford and her family lived is actually a midcentury modern lake house in Armonk, New York. The majority of the film takes place in the Westchester County home.
Is 'Verity' a horror movie?
"Verity" is classified as a psychological thriller.
What is the plot of 'Verity'?
In "Verity," struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson) is offered a large amount of money to be a ghostwriter for bestselling author Verity Crawford (Hathaway).
Verity's husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), convinces Lowen to take the deal. However, the details of Verity's condition aren't revealed until Lowen has already moved into the remote house with the family. Verity got in a car accident, which resulted in her becoming paralyzed and incapacitated.
While looking through notes in Verity's office to write the next novel in Verity's famous series, Lowen discovers a hidden autobiographical manuscript written by Verity.
The manuscript reveals disturbing information about the family, including the death of one of Verity's twin daughters, Harper.
While Lowen reads through the text, she also begins to develop a bond with Jeremy and believes that Verity may be lying about her condition.
Who is Chastin in 'Verity'?
*Warning: Spoilers ahead for the novel and film "Verity"*
Chastin Crawford is a character who was included in Hoover's novel "Verity."
Chastin was Jeremy and Verity's daughter; she was Harper's twin and Crew's older sister. Chastin was born with a scar on her cheek from Verity's failed attempt to abort the pregnancy. She dies at a sleepover due to a severe peanut allergy.
Verity was particularly close with Chastin. After her death, the manuscript implies that Verity murdered Harper because she thought Harper was responsible for Chastin's death.
In the movie, Chastin's character is cut completely. Instead, Harper and Crew are twins and they are Verity and Jeremy's only children together. Harper still dies and it seems like Verity is more partial towards Crew in the film.
'Verity' movie vs book
Key differences between the "Verity" movie and the book don't cause a major disparity in the plot.
For one, Verity's character in the books has blonde hair, while Hathaway keeps her brown locks for the role.
Verity's manuscript in the book goes into much more descriptive detail about her numerous miscarriage attempts with Chastin and Harper, including ones involving a coat hanger, pills and falling down a flight of stairs. In the film, viewers briefly see Verity pushing and contorting her stomach while complaining about her pregnancy with Harper and Crew.
In the book, Lowen has had a tendency to sleepwalk since she was a kid. At one point, while staying at the Crawfords' home, she even ends up in Verity's bed. While director Michael Showalter told Variety that they did film the sleepwalking scenes of Johnson, they ultimately opted to leave them out in order to keep the momentum of the film going.
The movie and book both end with Verity being killed by Jeremy. However, the details slightly differ, with the movie's Lowen assisting Jeremy in covering up the tracks by dumping Verity's body in the lake.
'Verity' run time
The film "Verity" is about one hour and 57 minutes long.
When will 'Verity' be streaming?
"Verity" is not currently on any streaming platform. The movie is out in theaters as of Friday, Oct. 2.
Where can I watch 'Verity' movie?
After the film concludes its theater run, "Verity" will likely be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video due to being distributed by Amazon MGM Studios.
'Verity' trailer
Do you have a tip or a question you need answered? Reach the reporter at dina.kaur@arizonarepublic.com. Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Instagram @dina_kaur.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Chastin in 'Verity'? Major differences between book and movie
