So if I only read the first book, and that only once a really long time ago, so I don't remember most of it, am I going to like H2G2?

Yes. I mean, assuming you're not one of the people that hates it anyway. I went with several people who hadn't read it. I lent out the books after the movie.

On Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants -- my only worry about the casting is that the actresses playing the girls all seem too old for those roles.

You're right, of course, but that's so common for movies based on YA novels that I just sort of accept it. Consider The Princess Diaries, where Mia is a high school senior instead of a freshmen (in the books, she just started her sophomore year in the sixth one). Or Tuck Everlasting where updating from the 12-year-old Winnie to the 16-year-old Winnie actually did kind of ruin the point of the novel in a lot of ways. In the original Ella Enchanted, too, Ella was about 14, not the 19 that is the youngest I can imagine Anne Hathaway playing.

(Shrug) I have other, much more worrisome worries about the movie, based on the trailer (specifically, I'm terrified that they're going to let Bridget get with Eric with no bad consequences, rather than make it scary and life-changing) so am perfectly willing to let the age change go. I mean, how old was Nick Brendon when he played a 15-year-old on Buffy?

I am soooo jealous of Nicole. We went hoping we would see the trailer, but no such luck.

One question about H2G2: why did Arthur steal Marvin's arm?

It was cute, I guess, but I was more meh than Yay on it.

To pretend it was a gun, I think, Perkins.

Was anyone else as enchanted as I by the visuals they chose for the infinite improbability drive in action ?

My brother said the yarn scene alone was worth the price of admission, and another friend of mine (who hadn't read the books) laughed more at that than she'd laughed at anything ever.

I loved the visuals on Magrathea - that was EXACTLY how I had imagined it the first time I read it.

Did everyone catch the planet shaped like Douglas Adams' head in that scene? It's visible two or three times in the background, first when Slartibartfast says "Welcome to our factory floor!"

My favourite Improbability Drive bit was when they all turned into woolen dolls. Now I find myself really, really wanting a wooly Marvin doll.

I heard about it, but didn't actually catch it in the movie Jessica.

I loved the woolley dolls scene too and the credit for the Knit technicians or however they put it.

Our theatre (AMC 30 in Cantera) thinks that H2G2 is a kids film too. (Based on the trailers. . . although they included a trailer for The Corpse Bride. I suppose they figure that if it's silly or animated it must be for kids.)