Fridge Brilliance: Early on, as Helen and Frank conclude their first date, he offers to buy her something. She takes a shine to a statuette in a Chinese shop window, and is told that she's a Chinese goddess who confers her powers on all who gaze upon her. When they're told that her power is fertility, Helen and Frank go wide-eyed and immediately leave. The last arc of the movie is a Surprise Pregnancy. The statuette really worked!
Harsher in Hindsight: For some it may be harder to watch the movie today and accept it as gospel of a happy, perfect real-life blended family after Tom North (Helen's son) revealed a history of abuse by Frank in his memoir. This led to a rift between the original Beardsley children and the North children (Helen's kids); also she separated from Frank before her death and is buried alongside her first husband under her first married name.
Hollywood Pudgy: Susan is certainly not obese. She's really not that much bigger than her siblings are. Yet she is depicted as the Gonky Femme, always shown compulsively eating. Helen joyfully writes to Frank that Susan has cut back on her eating after meeting a boy. In the enclosed photo documenting her "progress," there is no visible difference.
So Okay, It's Average: The original film is a near-perfect jewel, so its understandable that the remake would draw mild ire at best.
Values Dissonance: In one of the letters Helen sends to Frank, she talks about daughter Susan stopping eating because a boy asked her out and she insisted on wearing a dress, Helen chuckles "What we girls go through for our men". With the awareness about how dangerous eating disorders are and how it affects adolescent girls like Susan and the "Love Your Body" movement of today, such treatment looks very irresponsible at the least.
in his memoir. This led to a rift between the original Beardsley children and the North children (Helen's kids); also she separated from Frank before her death and is buried alongside her first husband under her first married name.