For the Romantic in all of us.

Rating: 9/10 (2 November 2013)

A Walk to Remember. A Walk to Remember is a teen movie for the ages based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. It goes beyond time and space, and it leaves the viewer in awe. This movie is more than words can define or expound. It captures the viewer where it counts, the heart. It yanks and it tugs until the viewer is left on the floor with a tub of ice-cream crying unashamedly. This movie is a masterpiece in its own right, not because of the acting, but because it is believable. It takes the plot of every new movie to a whole new level. It is a story of two North Carolina teenagers from different walks of life who are thrown together by the perils of life, and they fall in love. The love that they share is unending and undying. The love that they share is one that everyone wishes they could experience. It stars Mandy Moore as Jamie Sullivan, the preacher's daughter who is very reserved, and Shane West as Landon Carter, the popular boy with no specific plans for the future. The performance of Moore and West makes the movie much better and believable. It was developed on an $11 million budget and shot in thirty nine days, but it grossed over $12 million on its opening weekend. It was met with negative reviews by professional reviewers, Rotten Tomatoes called it "a walk to forget", but it received positive reviews by general viewers. The production time was short because it was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, at the same time that Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and the TV show Dawson's Creek were being filmed there. This movie spends all 101 minutes of airtime making the viewer believe in its characters. It helps the viewers sympathize with them, and it sheds a light on the struggles and the plight of every teenager. The tension between the young couple and society is one that most people have experienced. The entire movie makes the viewer believe that they are the characters. They viewers feel the pain and the hurt that Jamie feels as an outsider, and the viewer surely feel the weight of the love that Landon has for her. This movie prevails because it does not participate in the lackluster sex scene that most teen movies present to the audience, rather it portrays a wholesome teenager managing the commotion that is her life, and the man who loves. Many critics failed to understand that the point of the movie was not to make Jamie a real "ugly duckling", but a swan that does not care to spread her wings. Jamie carries a wisdom manifested from her faith and her life experiences. But her peers cannot seem to get past her clothing choices and hairstyles to take her seriously. This movie inspired many movies that came after it, movies like; The Notebook, The Vow, and Dear John. The climax of this movie occurs when Jamie dies; this is because it leaves the viewer in complete shock. But end of this movie is the highlight because it leaves the viewer wanting more. It leaves the viewer begging for a sequel or imagining an end. I personally love this movie because it makes me want a love that the two main character share. My favorite part is when Landon takes Jamie in-between state lines, and helps her fulfill her dream of being in two places at once. That scene struck a chord with me because it showed just how much he loved her. It sends a message that true love is possible at any age and it knows no bounds.