It's time to go to Thailand

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 2000)

The film is both stylistically and asthetically beautiful. The director goes beyond the classical just as in Trainspotting which has some similarities. These take the film further beyond reality, ultimately making the beach seem even more spectacular.
The acting varies but is quite realistic. If you have ever back-packed, you'd find the characters believable. Yes, Americans really do stick out that much. Leonardo Di Caprio seems completely immeresed in his role and acts well (despite what jealous boyfriends and husbands might say).
A big plus is that the film is quite different to what most expect from today's 'feature length' trailers. It's rated R for a reason (or two).

The book is fantastic and films rarely do books justice. I think the studio did a good job of selecting which parts to exclude and where to use some artistic merit. It's pretty ridiculous for anyone to expect a 2 hour film to incorporate and entire book. It's always funny when people complain a film wasn't how they imagined the book. What are the chances of that?
Ignore the Titanic comparisons, this isn't about a sinking ship. Go see the movie with an open mind (don't read any more reviews!) and you'll enjoy it.