Truly, a Walk to Remember

Rating: 10/10 (20 February 2002)

I saw this movie almost two weeks ago, and it struck me so much that I have seen it two more times with the excuse of accompanying some friends of mine who wanted to go see it. I wanted to take my time before writing this review, in order to make it slowly sink in. In the meantime, I have read reviews by critics and moviegoers, have read the novel by Nicholas Sparks on which this movie is (loosely) based, and have realized that the first time I saw it in the theater was actually the first time I ever cried at a movie. I do not exactly know why most of the the other people in the theater were crying, but I did cry because of the sweet, chaste, and unselfish love that Landon and Jamie showed towards each other in many a scene. It was really touching. Most movie critics have put down this movie on the moral basis that `Hollywood does not have the right to preach to us.' Personally, I liked the fact that Christianity was treated with fairness and respect.
It has been rightly written that this movie brings nothing new to the big screen. It is a mixture of `Love Story,' `Pretty in Pink,' and `She's All That,' with a sprinkle of `Seventh Heaven.' Yet, my personal opinion is that `A Walk to Remember' is in a category by itself, way above even celebrated movies such as`Titanic,' `Sleepless in Seattle,' or `Say Anything.' In all these movies, there is no spiritual and psychological growth in the characters, neither are there higher moral lessons to be learned by the viewer. They surely have a couple of aspects similar to `A Walk' but, in the end, they totally lack the sense of nobility irradiated by this movie. `A Walk' makes you think and, as I read in some of the reviews, even reevaluate your moral principles. This is not something that the above-mentioned love stories do.
Take `Say Anything,' for example. It was recently voted on `Entertainment Weekly' as the best modern romance movie. They say there it shows a lot of attention to small details, like the scene in which Lloyd checks his hair in the mirror before dialing the last digit of Diane's phone number. Now, notice that these details do not show love and altruism, but rather superficiality and selfishness. He wants to look good: normal in a teenager, but hardly noble. Check instead all the things Landon does for Jamie. It's totally unselfish and considerate towards her feelings and principles. Check out for example how, in one scene, he stops kissing her as a sign of respect for her religious beliefs: how manly and how mature. Also, sex is never an issue, and even their kisses reveal a sense of purity, chastity, and sweetness unseen in most other movies. You want details? Forget the `Say Anything' Lloyd checking his hair in the mirror, and check out the scene with Landon and Jamie on the deck. She is sleeping with her head on his shoulder. He notices that her sweater leaves her shoulder uncovered and pulls it up to keep her warm. Want more romantic details? Check out the seriousness with which both of them say the phrase, `I love you,' and their reaction to this phrase. Unlike in many other movies, in which these words (if they are even pronounced) drown in an ocean of sex-related activities, here they play a pivotal role that conveys truly felt reactions in the two characters.
The acting is surprisingly good. Honestly, the first time I saw the movie, I did not even know that Mandy Moore was a pop singer (I am not exactly into teen pop music). Had the acting been bad, most of the above-mentioned details would have not worked out the way they did. Both West and Moore did an excellent job, and so did the supporting cast.
In conclusion, I do not recall seeing any other movie in which there are so many positive aspects at the same time. Here we have true (proved, and not just `felt') love, chastity, respect, kindness, maturity, self-confidence not based on peer pressure but on higher moral standards, forgiveness, devotion, patience, hope, and faith. All these aspects contribute to making this movie much more that a mere teen love story, but instead a true walk to remember, even for the viewers.
By the way, check out the book. It is even better.