I first saw this movie in theaters and instantly fell in love. I loved the idea of the book club members' lives coinciding with the books they were reading. The script was witty, and the actors captured your heart.

I enjoyed the movie enough that I decided to read the book it was based on. Maybe it was just because I'd seen the movie before I read the book, but I found the latter disappointing. The movie had managed to interweave the stories of the club members' lives, rather than resign everything to backstory. And it usually made the same jokes with a better delivery.

In short, if you have a choice: watch the movie.