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Portnoy's Complaint (1972): Film vs Book
Film · 1972 · Directed by Ernest Lehman · Starring Richard Benjamin, Karen Black
About the film
A man confesses everything about his family and his desires in a comic monologue.
How close is it to the book?
Loosely based on the bookThe film cannot match the book's wild talk and tones it down.
Read or watch first?
The novel is bolder and funnier.
What the book gives you
Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
Fast, funny, fearless monologue that is as entertaining as it is honest.
Who will like it: Readers who like outrageous, laugh-out-loud confessions.