Mixed feelings on this one. I liked the idea of using modern music, but a lot of the time I found it distracting. It could have been pulled off better. There's a lengthy section near the end of the film, from the lunch with the 5 main characters to the car accident, where this film REALLY works, and it was riveted. Most of the stuff before and after was kinda dull. I really think that that this movie could have worked, but it's a little too slavishly faithful to the book. The sections where text appeared on-screen seemed tailor-made to be shown to tenth graders in high schools all across America.

In the end, it's not a terrible adaptation. It's just not all that well-realized or well-rounded.