No clichés... no flicks. Simply what the true power of love is capable of.

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2007)

I had heard about this movie when it first came out. I had always thought it would be one of the usual flick, teen-like and full of clichés. The sort of movie you regret having paid for, that will only touch the superficials. But I was wrong.
This movies holds a great many resemblances with The Notebook. Most probably because they are both based on novels written by Nicholas Sparks. A man who, in his life, clearly has experienced true love to be able to write about it so beautifully. If you have ever tasted true love, you will feel it during this picture. You will see the sparks between Jamie and Landon, because just like between Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling in the Notebook, the chemistry between Mandy Moore and Shane West is heartbreakingly real. This is without a doubt Moore's best movie and one of West's best performance.
This movie is all about true love, and its power. A power so strong, that it can change you inside forever, change your life forever. Shane West portrays that very well, and Mandy Moore truly delivers an enchanting performance. You see it, and you believe it. Those who reproached The Notebook to be too long will definitely find A Walk to Remember better as it is significantly shorter. The essence though, remains intact. It would be hard to believe this picture will not bring tears to your eyes. At the very least, it will touch you, for sure. Just like after I finished watching The Notebook, I couldn't stop feeling serenity and warmth. Something so beautiful is truly rare, and anyone who will ever taste this will be lucky. This is what you understand from all of this, and the message is well and clearly delivered without the need of sex or nudity, which is a pretty rare thing NOT to see nowadays.
Of course, it isn't perfect. Thankfully the usual they lived happily ever after cliché is non-existent here, and it wasn't the point. Some might find it too romantic, too unrealistic, cheesy even. As I said, those who have tasted this kind of love will see it this movie from a different angle. The score doesn't compare to Hans Zimmer's work (or The Notebook's for that matter), but it good, appropriate, and Mandy Moore's gentle voice can be heard a few times in the movie.
I am very happy I gave the movie its chance. I shed quite a few tears, and wished the movie would not yet end. Although the level of complexity of The Notebook isn't present in A Walk to Remember, it touched me more, and it definitely stands in the league with The Green Mile of the biggest tear jerkers.
All-in-all a great movie the romantic will purely and truly enjoy. If anything, a picture that will touch anyone who makes the effort to watch it with an open-mind, that such love exists. 8/10