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If you loved the stage show, you might want to give this a miss. To put it mildly, it's a mess. The script is all over the place - starts off with a (too) long introductory section about Jersey, with all the stereotypes, the mob, cute Italian families etc. You just want it to get to the MUSIC!! Even when it does, there's not enough of it. (A couple of songs that should have been in full in the body of the film are tacked on at the end under the closing titles.) The subplots about Frankie's wife and daughter make little sense unless you've seen the stage version. We never find out that 'What a Night!' was Bob Gaudio's anthem to his loss of virginity; the songs rarely accord with the plot developments. On the plus side, the performances are all fine, but the actors are battling to inject some sense, and some real joyousness, into the ponderous screenplay. You certainly don't come out toe-tapping as you did with the stage show. I was so looking forward to this movie, but Clint Eastwood was the wrong person to direct it. You have to really love the music and he clearly didn't.

I have read the book and found it extremely bleak. I agree the film is (almost reverentially) faithful to the book, which is not necessarily a good thing. Many a good book has been the basis for a bad film (and vice versa). My main gripe concerns the casting of Malkovich, an actor I have admired - for example, he made a superb Ripley and was brilliant in Liaisons Dangereuses. However, in this film he was creepy, cold and unpleasant. Another actor would have given the character more emotional depth, but he failed to give the slightest indication that David cared about anyone but himself. I felt no involvement with the character and could not have cared less what ultimately became of him. Maybe it was a directing problem. But to me, Malkovich was wrong in every way, including being physically unattractive, for this role.

This is a totally delightful, charming film. Unlike some critics I did not find it too long - on the contrary, I would have been happy if it had run another 30 minutes. Meryl Streep is, as usual, sublime. My only niggling criticism is about the gross way Julie's husband, played by Chris Messina, eats, stuffing his face and talking with his mouth full. Perhaps the real husband is like this, but it's quite disgusting to watch- a bit of dramatic licence would have been in order. At the positive end, it was terrific to see Julia/Streep wearing the same jacket in different scenes, instead of the usual approach where upmarket female characters are shown with constant changes of costume. I love Amy Adams and think she will evolve into one of our very best screen actors, but this role does not demand much of her. Streep is the star.