A bit corny, and not without flaws, but...

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2006)

I loved it! As a 16 year old male, I have never really been into movies like this before, but last week, whilst flicking through the channels late at night I came across A Walk to Remember. (if you must know, it was the only thing on at the time, so I didn't plan in advance to watch.) Despite missing the first 20 minutes, I quickly picked up the plot and began to really enjoy it. I honestly couldn't see Jamie's illness coming (although like I said it was late at night) and from that moment on I was captivated. So much in fact, that the next day I went out and bought the DVD and the book, and proceeded to enjoy and finish both by the end of the day.
I had not heard of either Mandy Moore or Shane West before watching so you can imagine my surprise when I found out that this was Mandy's first leading role. I thought she portrayed Jamie Sullivan, the minister's daughter and all round good girl, brilliantly. She brought a certain innocence to the performance which is impossible to learn, probably on reflection due to lack of experience, which really added to my enjoyment. Shane West did an admirable job as Landon Carter, the town's bad boy whose life gets turned around when he spends a bit of time with Jamie.
The film was so good in fact that I would put on a level with the book. Usually the film never lives up to the novel it is based upon and so is often disappointing in my eyes, but that is not the case here. The soundtrack (which I now also own) adds something to the film that the book cannot have, and in particular the songs "Only hope" and "Cry" (sung by Moore) were excellent and appropriate to the scene they were in. I also think that the film portrays the character of Jamie Sullivan better as well, as in the book she is made out to be a saint who does absolutely nothing wrong and is somewhat one dimensional (almost robotic), which I thought was slightly unrealistic. She is made out to be more human with feelings in the film. (the emotional scenes were played very well by Mandy Moore, I really felt for her) However, she is made out to be slightly sarcastic in the movie, for example in the "Read my mind" scene and where she puts down Dean. ("he (God) is probably looking for your brain") I don't think that she would have had a pop at her God, if she was a really devoted Christian. The list of ambitions that Jamie has is also a nice addition.
The corny bits? Well one immediately springs to mind. What sort of person says to another person on a serious level "You have to promise not to fall in love with me"? Maybe if it was a joke, then perhaps, but you can see that she really means it. Obviously later we find out why she says it, but even Jamie, who does not have many if any friends, could not be that naive.
So why give it 10 out of 10 if it has flaws? No movie is perfect, and the impact that this movie has had on me is greater than any other. It is a truly touching story of love, the impacts that love has on people, and the obstacles that people are willing to over come in the name of love.
This is a fantastic and very moving story that I would recommend to anyone.