what I think

Rating: 7/10 (18 February 2006)

All in all, as a movie, it does well on its own. A bit sappy but good nonetheless. This Nicholas Sparks (I've recently come into his books) adapted film wasn't quite the tear-jerker that "The Notebook" was, but it pays its due to his book I suppose.
However, it doesn't really follow the novel at all. (I watched the movie first as I wasn't really into Nicholas Sparks; actually I'm still unsure) SPOILER ALERT! (I suppose, but more so for the book, if you haven't read it yet.) They did cover the wedding scene in the Special Features on the DVD so I won't go into that.
Jamie never has a list of things she wants to do (the one most outstanding is being in two places at once). Her father writes a play called "The Chrimstas Angel" which gives Jamie a MUCH more wholesome look than in whatever the play is in the movie. Landon doesn't kiss her then and he only realizes he's in love with her after spending time with her at an orphanage she has devoted her life and work to helping.
And although Landon's best friend Eric makes cracks, he accepts Landon's decision and makes the comment that he's finally "growing up", which shows something different than the punching scene in the movie.
Jamie never lets Landon in her home and the father disallows too much unsupervised contact between the two. AND they never work on the lines from the play together.
Jamie doesn't have that awareness of being "special friends" where no one can see; she's just her own person doing her own thing and helping others. And the reverend announces the fact that Jamie has leukemia to the congregation and everyone starts to feel guilty and at one point Eric breaks down because he doesn't feel someone like Jamie deserves this outcome. (Bible-toting do-gooder; AND there's a specific special reason why she carries a tattered Bible everywhere) Basically, READ the book. You'll find it's quite different from the movie.
Oh and Landon's ex-girlfriend barely gets any mention except for when she gets drunk and pukes all over the bathroom and herself and Jamie and Landon help her clean up and go home. There's no jealousy or resentment.
When Mandy Moore (Before she filmed) had "A Walk to Remember" as a favorite book, I assumed she'd want to stay true. The movie is completely different, but like I said, it holds its own.