Saint Iggy is my winter book. This is the most wintery, debilitatingly sad, wonderful book I have ever read. Please read it. I do, every December. This book is a gift.
-Becky
The best night of my entire damn life.
Backstory: Fat Kid Rules the World is the story of Troy, an obese teenager who knows he is the butt of every joke. When Curt, a semi-homeless star of the punk scene, thwarts his suicide attempt, Curt and Troy form a band and their friendship changes everything.
Fat Kid Rules the World has been my favorite book since I was an itty bitty middle schooler. When I first read it, the idea of transformative friendship really resonated with me. I emailed the author, KL Going, and my enthusiastic little email kicked off our friendship. Every time I read it the story feels different. It’s too deeply ingrained in my to be anything but the story I love the most.
And now the damn thing is a movie. Fat Kid Rules the World was directed by Matthew Lillard and shot last summer. During shooting hundreds of photos were uploaded and I made a lot of friends. The movie premiered at SXSW this March, but it wasn’t until this Wednesday that I finally saw Fat Kid Rules the World.
How that Shit Went Down:
Allyx drove us to the theater in Chicago for the screening. We met the guys from Hemlock Recrods who made the screening happen. I embarrassed Allyx because I was wearing a homemade Tectonics shirt (the band in the story) and quoting the book. “This is my Harry Potter,” I told her. In the theater we met Connie and Gordy, who were there because their daughter is friends with KL. We swapped KL stories and talked about books and plays. They were generally kick ass. I warned them I was going to be crying at some point. Then the movie started.
The Movie:
I think I was in some kind of stunned state the entire time. The movie could not have been more perfect. Even if I didn’t already know the story, Fat Kid Rules the World would have become my favorite movie the second Marcus shoved Troy away from an oncoming bus. “It’s like running into a snowplow, man.” There were changes: Curt’s name became Marcus and a few characters were added, a few scenes were cut. But what matters is that the integrity of the story and the characters were so fucking perfect. The movie exceeded my already towering expectations. The characters came to life in an entirely new way.
I started sobbing when the credits rolled.
Afterwards: I called KL once I got out of the theater and said “ohmygod” about fifty times, then agreed to call from the car once I calmed down. We put her on speaker in the car and just freaked out. Asked each other questions and praised the movie. My favorite part was when KL asked us what we thought of Isabel, a new character.
“She’s so hot,” we said in union.
Now I have about a million emails to write. Over the year of waiting for the movie (in addition to 6 years of loving the book) I’ve made awesome friends and I want to tell them how much the movie they helped create.
How You Can See the Movie: The movie is being distributed through Tugg. Check for screening in your area, or request one. It won’t cost any more than a regular movie, and this story matters to much to ignore.
Rule the world
-Becky
Interview with Fat Kid Rules the World author K.L. Going
I’ve had the incredible opportunity to talk to K.L. Going about the upcoming Fat Kid Rules the World movie, and how your contributions to their Kickstarter campaign can help shape the future of this film. Click through to read about the movie, and what working with Matthew Lillard (from SLC Punk! and Scooby Doo) was like.
