Pompous poop

Rating: Null/10 (11 July 2002)

It's clear from the commentaries on the dvd that everyone working
on this film really tried hard and meant well; but, oh dear, the result
is sentimental and lightweight, so completely cut off from the
realities inherent in its story that it's just hopeless.
It's a measure of just how far it is from narrative credibility that this
movie makes 'Here on Earth' (Chris Klein, Josh Hartnett, Leelee
Sobieski), which has a nearly identical storyline, look like it's a
well-acted and well-written drama. If you haven't seen 'Here on
Earth', you'll have to take my word for it that I'm being rude about 'A
Walk to Remember'.
I've no idea whether Mandy Moore fulfils her potential here, but
Shane West has done much better in 'Once and Again', even in
'Whatever It Takes'. He promised a while ago that he wasn't going
to do any more teen movies, and on this evidence, the sooner he
takes on a role that really stretches him instead of just relying on
looking cute or mournful, the better. He has shown signs that he's
going to develop into a really good actor - but you have to look hard
to see it here.
This film does have one merit: it can be an object lesson in film
schools, to show why sweetening a story too much and lightening
the story's elements to avoid upsetting anyone at all, in the
process losing all contact with the value and emotional core of the
original story, leave you with a film that's worth a lot less than the
effort that's gone into making it.