Nothing new here, but well-done and Mandy Moore is totally believable.

Rating: Null/10 (15 July 2002)

Mandy Moore is a beautiful young girl and seems to be a natural actress. Here she plays the daughter of a strict preacher (Peter Coyote), and she herself is a spiritual person who does her own thing in high school, pursuing her list of things to do, while not worrying what the shallow students think of her. Takes her hand-built reflector telescope into the cemetary at night to view the heavens. Tutors other students. Sings in the church choir.
SPOILERS -- She and her dad have a secret. She is dying of lukemia, and her "list" is really the things she wants to do before she dies, which isn't very far away. Number one on her list is to get married in the same small church in Virginia where her parents were married. Circumstances get her and the popular but dangerous guy into common settings, tutoring, the school play, and ultimately she "makes him want to be a better person", shades of "As Good As It Gets". He has to spurn the old friends to move on.

As she gets more sick, and it is obvious her time is very short, he proposes and they do get married in the small church, she dies, he goes on to college, he gets accepted to medical school, the things he put on his list after meeting her.
There are absolutely no new ideas in this film. Its charm comes in the way the characters develop, and the truly wonderful acting by Mandy Moore. It is a good story, of what true love and devotion is, rather than two kids just trying to get in bed as soon as they can. The film doesn't preach, but it does touch the subjects of belief in God and the value of real relationships. In my book that kind of film deserves a high rating. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not a perfect movie, some scenes didn't ring true, but overall I really enjoyed it.