When I read book 1 I felt that the schadenfreude for the pre-clearasil set was a bit over the top and that the book sort of appealed to our baser natures.

However the Jim Carey movie put it squarely in the comedy camp. A sort of literary slap-stick. While this was somewhat understated in book 1, I felt that the movie accentuated the comedic elements and kept the overall story lighter and somehow more enjoyable.

It's one of the first times in a long time that I genuinely felt that the movie was better than the book.