Eric D. Snider
A Walk to Remember
Movie Review
"A Walk to Remember"
Review by Eric D. Snider
Grade: C-
Rating: PG
Released: Friday, January 25, 2002
Directed by:
Cast:
The title "A Walk to Remember" refers to the fact that the movie is based on a book called "A Walk to Remember." Other than that, it has no relevance, because there's not much walking in the movie. There might be some in the theater, though, as people become overwhelmed by the gooey, romantic sentimentalism and walk out before it's over.
This thoroughly unoriginal puddle of claptrap aims right at the heart of teen-age girls -- the ONLY people who should attempt to watch it. (Even they might find it indistinguishable from other movies they've seen.)
It is about a rebellious teen-age boy named Landon Carter (Shane West) who gets a kid nearly killed in a hazing rite and subsequently has to do community service. He is also sentenced by his high school principal to be in the spring musical, which is an odd sort of punishment if you ask me.
Naturally, this boy with a bad attitude and no previous acting experience gets the lead, and playing opposite him is Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), the Pollyanna-ish preacher's daughter with the voice of an angel and the virtue of a saint. They are opposites, which means they will fall in love.
(The musical they're in, by the way, was written by a student and apparently has only one song -- which Jamie sings, and which is accompanied by a piano and an invisible strings section.)
The romance puts Landon in hot water with his troublemaker friends, and rouses the ire of Jamie's Bible-thumping dad (Peter Coyote). Then the movie turns weepy and drastic. I won't spoil it for you; I'll let the movie spoil itself.
It is written by Karen Janszen (who also wrote "Free Willy 2"), based on the Nicholas Sparks novel. Give credit to the film for portraying religious faith in a positive light without being preachy, and for showing abstinence before marriage as a reasonable option. Those qualities are rare in film, and they are to be applauded.
Good intentions are not enough, however, to make a movie worthwhile. This one is certainly well-meaning, but it's also simple-minded and contrived. The acting is second-rate and the direction (by Adam Shankman, who gave us "The Wedding Planner") is merely adequate. It is a movie to forget.
Grade: C-
Rated PG, a lot of mild profanity
Copyright © Eric D. Snider.
This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, nor reproduced in any other way, without written consent from Eric D. Snider.
This item has 12 comments
November 2, 2006 at 4:46 pm
wooahh first of all its called a walk to remember bcuz that when they were walkin she told him he was sick..duhh! and it is my all time fave movie so dont talk [swear word] about it
November 3, 2006 at 11:20 am
I'm not likely to see the movie, because I did not like the book. Nicholas Sparks has this thing where at least half the time he has to kill a main character as soon as the other main character falls in love with him/her. He made an exception once, and it was a good book, but then he wrote a sequel, "At First Sight," and went ahead and killed off the wife after all! It's like he just can't stand to let someone live if they're happy.
December 22, 2006 at 7:35 pm
i loved the movies i can watch it ova and ova....movie i have seen the most...
well it does have meanings into it...like nothing lasts forever so enjoy life while u still can....by urself dont let anyone change u...no matter how bad they are and fall in love with someone who u r....not what u r...
mandy moore preety much rocks lol
March 19, 2007 at 6:57 am
wow !! watchin this movin made me mad after SHANE he is so so HANDSOME gosh !! and u rock MANDY !!
March 19, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Momma Snider, it was very sneaky of you to wege your comment--which is very well-thought out and coherent and actually offers a valid opinion--right in the middle of three comments apparently left by partly-illiterate twelve-year-old girls. My compliments!
July 20, 2007 at 3:11 am
oh my gosh!...this movie has been my ultimate favorite since i've first watch it....the movie inspired me in many ways...hope many movies will come out as beautiful as this one..the movie has a moral lesson that leaves me the question"does true love last forever" well thats for me to find out...Anyway,the actors and actresses played the role very professionally..especially Mandy Moore..what a huge transformation in her whole personality,i never really thought that shell be able to act that well..and her brown hair surely fits on her behalf that made her look so damn beautiful indeed..,by the way i had a huge crush on shane west..hehehehe....well..what can i say hes cute!
July 24, 2007 at 6:32 am
hi
i like it and i am a guy.I don't care if you think i am gay or anything they are words that dont hurt.
i feel i should express my views on it.its good.It has a mixture in it.classic old love story-opposite pll falll in love .they change and face a big obstacle but they overcome it.I have no problem expressing my views.if you do i do not care
good book seriously.
August 1, 2007 at 8:58 pm
does anyone know the title of the song that moore and west sang in the movie?
November 10, 2007 at 8:34 pm
I liked this movie, though I think the book was better. Despite the soppy romance and predictable plot, and even though I knew the ending before I saw it, I still cried like a baby. I don't know why. Maybe because it renewed my faith in unselfish love.
And by the way, it's called A Walk to Remember because he will always remember her walking down the aisle towards him...I believe they even put a line in at the end where he practically SAYS this, word for word. Except he doesn't say "A walk I'll always remember," maybe he says "A walk I'll never forget" or whatever. But I guess some people just can't connect the dots.
No offense though, and I can understand why Eric wouldn't like a movie like this. Like he said, he's in the wrong age genre for it.
February 25, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Holy Crap!!!
You are crazy this movie is one of the best romances I've ever seen, and trust me I watch a lot of movies. I'm a journalist at my school and my topics are usually about movies. I watch them and review them like you do. The actors are very good at the characters they play, the plot is not very good but catchy, and SHANE WEST is freakin' HOTT! Unless you like Mandy Moore, then which she's pretty.
April 21, 2008 at 2:18 am
okay whoah.
first of all, this movie is not only inspiring but a classic.
this movie has a great plot from beginning to end.
wonderful, talented actors and actresses.
shane west and mandy moore really have great chemistry in this movie.
and to say this movie is bad-
is like offending all other love movies.
so yeah.
sorry,
you're wrong.
June 3, 2008 at 10:17 am
I didn't like this movie too much when I saw it in theaters, though I did feel a little teary at the end, so it must've reached me on *some* level. Still, the cheesiness and over-the-top melodrama made me never want to watch it again.
Mostly, I just wanted to comment on your inclusion of kudos for the film's religious balance. I couldn't agree more; I'm an atheist, and at no point during viewing did I feel like I was being preached to. That's commendable, especially since most pro-religious films feel like they have to shove their message down your throat.