---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The movie, like the book before it, is an…"
description: "\"The movie, like the book before it, is an expertly built machine for the mass production of tears. Directed by Josh Boone ('Stuck in Love') with scrupu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/a-o-scott-26387_adults_the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an_943714.jpg"
---

#  The movie, like the book before it, is an expertly built…

![“The movie, like the book before it, is an expertly built machine for the mass production of tears. Directed by Josh Boone ('Stuck in Love') with scrupulous respect for John Green's best-selling young-adult novel, the film sets out to make you weep -- not just sniffle or choke up a little, but sob…” quote by A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/a-o-scott-26387_adults_the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an_943714.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/a-o-scott-26387_adults_the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an_943714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/a-o-scott-26387_adults_the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an_943714.jpg)

> “The movie, like the book before it, is an expertly built machine for the mass production of tears. Directed by Josh Boone ('Stuck in Love') with scrupulous respect for John Green's best-selling young-adult novel, the film sets out to make you weep -- not just sniffle or choke up a little, but sob until your nose runs and your face turns blotchy. It succeeds.”

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The film is crafted to deliberately provoke strong emotional responses, turning storytelling into a systematic tear‑inducing experience.

**In simple terms:** The movie is designed to make you cry.

Key Takeaway

Recognize when media manipulates emotions.

Themes

emotion media storytelling manipulation

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

critical analytical observational

When to use this quote

- movie night
- teaching empathy
- marketing analysis
- personal coping
- creative writing

Key Concepts

cinema audience response sentimentality

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you enjoy stories that aim to move you deeply?
- When does emotional manipulation become exploitative?

A Different Perspective

It may prioritize emotional impact over narrative depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Choke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choke/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-set/) [Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-green-2/) [Josh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/josh/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Make Weep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-weep-627577/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Mass production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-production/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Noses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noses/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Production Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/production-tears-1631628/) [Productions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productions/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Selling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling/) [Stuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuck/) [Stuck Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuck-love-1048018/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Tears Directed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears-directed-1631627/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young adult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-adult/) [Your face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-face/)

## Related quotes

> [The one who loves you will make you weep in joy not in sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-one-who-loves-you-will-make-you-weep-in-joy-not-in-sadness/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“what the willows don't know won't make them weep”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-aurelia-williams/what-the-willows-don-t-know-won-t-make-them-weep/)

[Lori Aurelia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-aurelia-williams/)

> [The public is composed of numerous groups whose cry to us writers is: 'Comfort me.' 'Amuse me.' 'Touch my sympathies.' 'Make me sad.' 'Make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/the-public-is-composed-of-numerous-groups-whose-cry-to-us-writers-is/)

[Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/)

> [We don't need to fabricate anything because the truth will make you weep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-l-walsh/we-don-t-need-to-fabricate-anything-because-the-truth-will-make-you/)

[Patricia L Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-l-walsh/)

> [I wonder why life has brought you my way to make me happy but now as to take you away to make me weep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usman-ismaheel/i-wonder-why-life-has-brought-you-my-way-to-make-me-happy-but-now-as/)

[Usman Ismaheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usman-ismaheel/)

> [The one who loves you will make you weep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-snyder/the-one-who-loves-you-will-make-you-weep/)

[Brandi Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-snyder/)

> [“...the most beautiful things don't always make you happy - often they make you weep...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-most-beautiful-things-don-t-always-make-you-happy-often-they-make/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [Self-pity can make one weep, as can onions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/self-pity-can-make-one-weep-as-can-onions/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Frozen, I'm frozen, I'm frozen, I'm frozen. Baby, you know that I'm stuck on your love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-chynn/frozen-i-m-frozen-i-m-frozen-i-m-frozen-baby-you-know-that-i-m-stuck/)

[Tami Chynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-chynn/)

> [“We are stuck-up about love and we are stuck-up in the idea of being in-love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-marie-aguilar/we-are-stuck-up-about-love-and-we-are-stuck-up-in-the-idea-of-being/)

[Ann Marie Aguilar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-marie-aguilar/)

> [“Being stuck on love was a real bitch to cure. Like cancer, I think. Just when you think you’re over it, it comes back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/being-stuck-on-love-was-a-real-bitch-to-cure-like-cancer-i-think-just/)

[Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/)

> [My wife married me when the odds were that I'd be a house-painting bouncer for the rest of my days. She has stuck by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-earl-brown/my-wife-married-me-when-the-odds-were-that-i-d-be-a-house-painting/)

[W. Earl Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-earl-brown/)

> [Move on ? No! I wanna stuck in this first love illutions forever .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vienna/move-on-no-i-wanna-stuck-in-this-first-love-illutions-forever/)

[Vienna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vienna/)

> [Love is impatient love is not kind. Love can mistreat and leave you stuck behind. Love has it's ways of flipping your life upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-impatient-love-is-not-kind-love-can-mistreat-and-leave-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't get star-stuck. I love Angelina Jolie, though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nene-leakes/i-don-t-get-star-stuck-i-love-angelina-jolie-though/)

[NeNe Leakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nene-leakes/)

## More by A. O. Scott

> [Subtle, funny and touching, with a striking downbeat authenticity. Director Craig Zobel is the real thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/subtle-funny-and-touching-with-a-striking-downbeat-authenticity/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [My fellow critics and I may occasionally fault a movie for departing, in detail or in spirit, from its literary source, but the grousing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/my-fellow-critics-and-i-may-occasionally-fault-a-movie-for-departing/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [Campaign may invite a certain skepticism about democracy, but it will surely restore your faith in cinema verite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/campaign-may-invite-a-certain-skepticism-about-democracy-but-it-will/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [The silliness-much of which is clearly intentional-is blended with some genuine grandeur. The Pixar touch is evident in the precision of the visual detail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-silliness-much-of-which-is-clearly-intentional-is-blended-with/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [Pearl Harbor is strenuously respectful of contemporary sensitivities, sometimes at the cost of accuracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/pearl-harbor-is-strenuously-respectful-of-contemporary-sensitivities/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [Every art form changes, often at rates and in ways that cause discomfort to its devotees. But the arts also have a remarkable ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/every-art-form-changes-often-at-rates-and-in-ways-that-cause/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [Tiny as a sparrow, fierce as an eagle, Lisbeth Salander is one of the great Scandinavian avengers of our time, an angry bird catapulting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/tiny-as-a-sparrow-fierce-as-an-eagle-lisbeth-salander-is-one-of-the/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [AN ABSOLUTELY VITAL FILM. Exacting, enraging and revelatory. A clear, temperate and devastating account of high level arrogance and incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/an-absolutely-vital-film-exacting-enraging-and-revelatory-a-clear/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [Those reliable axioms about the taste and expectations of the mass movie audience are not so much laws of nature as artifacts of corporate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/those-reliable-axioms-about-the-taste-and-expectations-of-the-mass/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [The musical performances do more than enrich the movie; they complete it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-musical-performances-do-more-than-enrich-the-movie-they-complete/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [The camera has an uncanny ability to capture the world as it is, to seize events as they happen, and also to conjure visions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-camera-has-an-uncanny-ability-to-capture-the-world-as-it-is-to/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [War of the Worlds is rated PG-13. Much of the earth's population is wiped out, leaving very little time for sex or bad language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/war-of-the-worlds-is-rated-pg-13-much-of-the-earth-s-population-is/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [ADMIRABLY BOLD. There's something grand about the film's sincerity and the intensity of its emotions and something fresh and bold about the way director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/admirably-bold-there-s-something-grand-about-the-film-s-sincerity-and/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [STARTLING &amp; INVENTIVE...This is not a movie that lets go of you easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/startling-inventive-this-is-not-a-movie-that-lets-go-of-you-easily/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [STORIES WE TELL is one of the boldest and most exciting films I’ve seen in the last six months, and the kind of experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/stories-we-tell-is-one-of-the-boldest-and-most-exciting-films-i-ve/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

[Explore all 21 A. O. Scott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

## More Adults quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/)

[Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/)

> [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/)

[K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/)

> [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/)

[One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/)

> [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/)

[Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/)

> [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/)

[Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/)

[Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The movie, like the book before it, is an expertly built machine for the mass production of tears. Directed by Josh Boone ('Stuck in Love') with scrupulous respect for John Green's best-selling young-adult novel, the film sets out to make you weep -- not just sniffle or choke up a little, but sob until your nose runs and your face turns blotchy. It succeeds.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "A. O. Scott"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an-expertly-built-machine-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adults"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an-expertly-built-machine-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/a-o-scott-26387_adults_the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an_943714.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/a-o-scott-26387_adults_the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an_943714.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/a-o-scott-26387_adults_the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an_943714.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The movie, like the book before it, is an expertly built machine for the mass production of tears. Directed…” — A. O. Scott",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "A. O. Scott",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The movie, like the book before...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an-expertly-built-machine-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-movie-like-the-book-before-it-is-an-expertly-built-machine-for/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
