Yes i think she did. I thought the film was very like the book. Some scenes were word for word. Personally i think is the BEST film ever. Its my favourite book too! I know im a bit obsessed! I do think they could have delved deeper into the courcase and when Ponyboy was sick, but ya i think she liked it!
I would say that S. E. Hinton did like the film. She played a side roll in it, and she was a consultant. They had to let out scenes that didn't exactly move the story along because of time. If a movie is too long, it won't sell. Did you notice that a few of the lines are cut from both Soda and Johnny's letters that don't matter as much?