Excellent is an understatement. The movie, which I saw yesterday, was exactly like the book, which I read a few months ago. The actors captured the characters perfectly. The story was moving, powerful and heart-warming. It makes you feel sad, then happy, then sad and then happy again. Maggie Smith was hilarious as Caro and Ellen Burstyn was outstanding as Vivi Dahlin'. Ashley Judd played the part of young Vivi brilliantly. It's probably her finest performance yet. All in all, the movie was wonderfully made and didn't deviate from the book, like so many films do. You HAVE to see this film.