Like "Love Story" for teens.

Rating: 9/10 (10 March 2002)

A Walk to Remember is a refreshing and welcome alternative to the typical "teen movie" that Hollywood makes these days (e.g. American Pie, Bring it On, pick any Freddie Prinz Jr. movie!). It is smarter than the movies named above for several reasons: (1) the characters are well developed and seem like real people with real issues; (2) there are no jokes involving bodily fluids or functions (thank God!); and (3) it is about romance, rather than sex. Shane West plays Landon Carter, who is a rebellious but popular kid in his high school. And pop star Mandy Moore plays Jamie Sullivan, a cute but unpopular girl in (the same) high school, due to her quasi-mousy style of dress and her strong Christian beliefs (her dad is the minister of a local church). When Landon gets in trouble and is forced to participate in the upcoming school play as his punishment, he is helped in his preparation by Jamie, who is also in the play and who volunteers to meet with him to practice their lines. During their meetings, an attraction builds between Landon and Jamie but he is afraid to show his feelings for her in public, around his "popular" friends, until something happens, and he feels that he must make a stand. I won't reveal any more of the plot here, since much of the joy of watching A Walk to Remember lies in seeing how it develops the growing romance between the two teens. There's genuine sweetness in this story and between the two lovers--which manages to stay a hair's breadth away from manipulative sentimentality--and then something happens. For the record, I predicted it far in advance, but that didn't lessen the impact of what happens. For the film takes its time developing its two main characters so that we genuinely care about their fate when the "unexpected" moment finally comes. For those who have not been overcome by cynicism and irony, and who are open to seeing a sweet teenage love story, I heartily recommend A Walk to Remember. It is a sleeper that will gradually win your heart over. (If you're a teenager, I recommend that you go see this film and prove to Hollywood that there's a market (among teens) for sweet, intelligent films like this.)