A hidden Gem wrapped up in a shiny shiny wrapper

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2012)

Okay so I originally downloaded this movie for my wife and I was reluctant to watch it with her but hey, a man's gotta watch a chick flick from time to time.
It starts off poorly, in an almost TV movie manner. I was bored from the onset. Rich kids in a majestic sea side town moaning about their life doesn't exactly get me to sympathise with them. But everything changed the moment Mandy Moore came on screen. I'm not the kind of person to have any idea who she was before the movie. But as soon as she walked on screen she lifted the movie up and I cared about her character. Then gradually the relationship between Jamie and Brandon begins to develop in a kind of love hate way. Shane West does a decent job as the troubled, slightly wild boy youth, but again it's Mandy Moore who steals the show as a woman who is pretty much every man's dream. She pulls a face that makes her look so vulnerable, you just want to put your arm around her. She is beautiful as a girl without make-up and dressed in plain clothes and she is smart, sassy and fiery, with just an edge of weakness. You really feel that she's not really acting and it' the real, young and vulnerable girl there on screen.
There are a few tear jerking moments towards the end and one in particular always gets me (Bizzarely I've watched it three times now). Brandon finally makes up with his dad and they hug and he finally breaks down in his father's arms. I don't know why, but I can't hold back the tears at this point.
That said I've given the film and 8 and not a 9 because there is a TV movie feel to some of the film and I can't help but cringe during some of the singing moments. Obviously they have only been put in as Mandy is a singer and this is probably contractual. I would let this pass, as she does a decent job, particularly in the school play scene. But it's dubbed singing. She's not singing live on set with the raw voice you would get from that. She's singing in a studio afterwards and it's really obvious and overly polished and she even resorts to a few of the modern pop note dragging tactics which remind me, for a few moments that she's not Mandy Moore and not Jamie the school girl. Which breaks the spell of the movie a little.
The other slight issue I have is the one of religion. The film is pro-Chistianity, and despite the fact that Brandon seems to remain and Atheist throughout, it almost suggests that Jamie is only the person she is because of her faith and not because she just a smart, good person. The Christianity isn't pushed too much, but it still tarnishes the film a little.
Still all in all, if you watch this without being too cynical, get some tissues and enjoy!