MCZTamanofu said:

Well, it's far from perfect. From a mononofu's stand point, I'd give it a solid 8/10. From a general audience standpoint, around 6.5/10.
There are moments where their acting potential shines, but it is noticeable that they haven't been trained for acting.
The story really revolves around the growth and maturation of Takahashi Saori (Kanako). I guess as befitting the leader and main character, she does get the most screen time.
There are a few moments of well timed comedy, and when I saw it, the audience noticeably laughed (myself included) when Yukko's (Shiorin's) father was introduced on screen.
Momoka fans will be disappointed for 1/3 of the movie since she's hardly in the first half due to the nature of her character.
Reni-chan is the only member fit to play Garuru, but sometimes I felt that the energy of her character clashes with some scenes and makes her acting appear unnatural and forced.
The supporting cast does a good job, especially the art teacher/drama club (assistant) advisor, Yoshioka (Kuroki Haru).
One thing that bothered me a little was the use of inner monologue to express Saori's feelings through the first half or so of the movie. It felt like it was used to make up for the lack of acting discipline, that there was no other way to convey them to the audience.

I don't see a reason for non-fans to see this movie unless they read and liked the book though. However, if non-fans see it, I think there's a good chance they will become fans.

First time watching it doesn't really allow me to write completely objectively, but I do plan on seeing it at least two more times because I bought tickets from the 7-11 promotion.

I think they could have done more with the whole plot and character development. I mean, the students have more to worry about than just their competition. As seniors, they have to worry about college entrance exams. Also, even if they aim for the National competition, since it's held the summer afterward, as seniors they wouldn't even be participating. I'm not finished with the book yet, only just started the District competiton part, but the focus up until now has been getting to the Prefectural competition, and maybe the Regional competition (which would interfere with college exams). Yukko in particular is a very complex character that doesn't get as much attention as she should. Her jealousy of Nakanishi and interactions with Saori, along with her worries of her future, could have been presented better.
The new freshmen club members appear out of nowhere in the movie. It's kind of confusing. One minute they're not there, the next they are. I get that they turned the plot into an underdog story, failure to success (unlike the original story), but some kind of transition would have been nice.