Decent movie, even if it tries a little too hard sometimes

Rating: 7/10 (13 March 2011)

I love the writing of Nicholas Sparks, I find it very heartfelt and honest. When it comes to the book A Walk to Remember, it was good with a heartfelt ending and characters and the story did touch me, but some of dialogue was occasionally lazy and repetitive for my liking.
The movie is a decent one. It does try to stick to the spirit of the book even if one or two of the details aren't as coherent, and it mostly succeeds. The pace can be a little too mannered though, and although most of it is genuinely touching there are other times throughout the movie when the story and subject matter tries a little too hard to evoke emotion. There is the length too, I personally felt it could have been shorter.
However, A Walk to Remember is beautifully filmed, with beautiful locations and striking photography. The soundtrack is poignant and beguiling, the script tries hard to excise some of the more lazy and repetitive dialogue of the book and while some of it is still a little too repetitive for my taste it is also very honest and heartfelt. The story was enough to warm and break my heart, and the ending touched me hugely. The direction is eager as are the performances. Shane West is very charming and Mandy Moore is convincing, but Peter Coyote and Daryl Hannah are the ones who really impress.
Overall, while it does try too hard sometimes A Walk to Remember is a decent movie. For other movies based on Sparks' work, I recommend The Notebook and Message in a Bottle over this both of which genuinely resonated with me, but as a film A Walk to Remember is much better than the forced and predictable The Last Song. 7/10 Bethany Cox