The movie didn't work - although I can see what they were attempting to do -- they were trying to recreate the structure and themes of the book by casting the same actors for each story, just throwing them in different roles.

Must have been a lot of fun for the actors, but was confusing and difficult to follow for the viewers.

So far, I'm preferring the book. And I don't think it's a book that works as a movie adaptation any more than Ulysses, Sound and the Fury, or various other novels written in that style. They aren't really written for a cinemagraphic adaptation.
Which is another difficulty - if you don't think a certain way -- this style can be difficult to relate to.