I am glad I didn't listen to Hollywood critics who gave this movie a poor grade because it was "off" or "too colorful" as they may have said.
This was a great movie. Great enough for me to sit through without moving, great enough to elicit tears and laughter from everyone around me, great enough that I didn't grumble on the way home about how much it cost. Whether it was completely true to the novel didn't matter. The audience (sold out) erupted into cheers at the unexpected ending, and left with tears in their eyes and smiles on their lips.