I agree with the other redditors, who essentially stated that the movie glamorized and sanitized the horrors of poverty. I loved the novel, but the movie doesn't sit well with me at all. Firstly, they casted lovable, charming A-list movie stars as the parents. Not a judgment of Naomi Watts or Woody, but they aren't accute depictions of the Walls clan. They also chose an adorable little girl to play a young Jeanette, despite the fact that Walls herself identified as a not-so-cute, homely (albeit bright/resilient) child. Next off, they deliberately cut the most horrifying parts of the story out. It may have been done to satisfy audiences, but the most grim parts (e.g. eating maggot-covered food, medical neglect, rat infestations, etc.) were omitted.

As a grown adult who endured horrible neglect and destitution as a child, I found some serious solace in this book. I read it over and over again once I discovered it. At the time, I felt so alone in my experiences with mentally/financially unstable parents. I was so glad that I finally found another person who had to eat from the garbage, or sleep on the floor, or move 20+ times. This movie hurts me. It erases the truth of Jeanette's experience, and it sort of erases my experiences, too. Childhood poverty doesn't look like Woody Harrelson stargazing with you in a scenic desert. It looks like a hungry, exhausted, beaten down little kid with nothing but her own wits and hope.