The only spoiler here is my dark little secrets...

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2006)

I bought this movie at the local supermarket, at a substantially reduced price. From the cover and the resumé, I figured this would be a decent flick to have handy in the event I got some female company for a movie night.
Now I find myself watching it alone.
Repeatedly. By CHOICE.
At first I tried blaming it on the presence of Mandy Moore. When that got old, I tried blaming it on the songs she sings in the movie (some of them are quite brilliant ballads). When that lie also faded, the truth stood clear; I simply love this movie.
As a previous comment stated, "You'll hate yourself for loving this movie". How utterly true this is. I DO hate myself for loving it, but I love it nevertheless. It will make you smile, frown, laugh and cry. It is like taking an emotional roller-coaster, but you find yourself not wanting to get off. That said, director Adam Shankman elegantly avoids spending three hours telling the story, even though the story itself easily could justify it.
Mandy Moore and Shane West both perform superbly, where I have yet to find significant flaws in their performance even after the n'th viewing. Supporting actors Peter Coyote and Daryl Hannah both deliver the goods with seasoned timing.
I watched this movie again this evening, on TELEVISION, even though I have the DVD on the shelve next to it... I even get emotional reading the QUOTES from this movie on IMDb.com (which by the way contains a few spoilers - do not read until you've seen the movie!!!).
All in all; I fail to see how anyone can be totally unaffected by this diamond in the rough. Watch it. Rent it. Buy it. Even as an "aging" flick by relative standards, it will prove well worth full price.