brief summary of the movie, and my personal opinion

Rating: 10/10 (8 October 2009)

Love Your Enemies
A Walk to Remember, filmed in 2002, is a heart warming story between two teenagers, Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore) and Landon Carter (Shane West), who find each other and battle the road of love as they struggle with acceptance, strength, courage, and hope for one another. Jamie, a young quite girl with a strong heart for God, fights for her life as she struggles with leukemia. Determined to fulfill her biggest dreams before she dies, she works hard everyday to take care of her father, Revered Sullivan (Peter Coyote), do well in school, and complete a list of things she has planned for her life. On the other hand, Landon is the complete opposite. Part of the popular crowd, Landon tries his best to fit in and be cool with his friends as he shuts his family out of his life. After encountering some trouble at school, Landon's parents and principal believe that he needs to fill his free time with some better activities which leads him to a punishment of being part of their high school annual school play, therefore creating a common bond between Jamie and Landon. While Jamie plays the main character and shows strong understanding to her script, Landon tends to struggle to remember his lines. In an act of desperation, he ask Jamie for her help in which eventually bring the two together in ways that we wouldn't think possible. As they put their differences aside, the two see the positive influences of one another and fall head over heels in love.
I believe that the director Adam Shankman, brings the idea of acceptance into this film. He is reaching out to show that even though two people may have completely different lives, views, or values on things, there may always be that one common bond which brings a pair together. As we watch Jamie struggle with her leukemia, we also see Landon as he learns what's important to him though the eyes of Jamie fighting for her life.
To me the most important part of the movie is at the end when Landon goes by Reverend Sullivan's house to return Jamie's poem book. This is a symbol in the movie of how Landon had changed and the impact that Jamie had left on his heart. As he moved forward in his life, he showed the drastic changes he made to become a better person than the bully he was in high school. The love he had formed for Jamie had done more then make him smile -- it created a whole new person who succeeded in his future as he completed his own list of life expectations in which he planned for himself.