In defense of this movie from a cynic..

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2004)

This movie is sappy, unoriginal, contrived and completely wonderful! I loved this movie, although it pains me to admit it because I normally do not like love story movies (or anything associated with N.Sparks)- I find them unbearably long and dull (and usually can't sit through the whole thing) simply because the only thing going on around them at all times is their all-consuming romantic trials, which get old fast. Somehow though, it works in this movie. Perhaps it is because the leads seem to have a nice chemistry together (the younger and elder) and inspire empathy for their characters. It seemed to have an element of relevance for an older generation (the theater I went to had many older women and I overheard one pair talking about how they remembered when "I'll be seeing you" was popular when they were teenagers) showcasing the young lovers to the dealing-with-age elderly couple. Was it obvious? Of course. Does it matter? Not this time. Although normally I'm very cynical, this movie seduced me, I knew I was being taken for a ride, and I enjoyed it. It romanticizes a time when people who were in love were expected to be it for the long haul, end of story. In reality, things in the past were not any more perfect than they are today, but it still is a nice fantasy. Deep down I think we all wish we could find romantic passionate love with someone (our first love no less!) and spend the rest of our lives still enamored with this person. The chances of all of the above happening are not usually very high, so that is where stories/movies like this come in. Although I've read one Nicholas Sparks book and felt sick that I had wasted 2 hours of my life, I'm glad this movie was made. The movie did get a little over the top at the end, there were a few points I thought it could have just ended at. Even so, the costume design might have been worth the ticket price alone. I walked out wanting to be in love and have some killer shoes. Now that is a good movie!
Overall this movie is ** out of ***** on a normal movie scale, but for a romance movie ***** out of *****.