I think it’s safe to say there aren’t too many people who are particularly excited about the remake of Endless Love starring Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde. Most of those who were in attendance at the pre-screening were saying that the original wasn’t too great, so this one probably wouldn’t be either. Well, I hate to say it, but they were mostly right. But I will tell you, it’s not all that bad after all. First, let’s get to what the movie is about, for those of you who don’t know.
Basically, we’ve got David and Jade, a boy and a girl, who have been in the same high school for 4 years. They’re opposites in every way, David is part of the popular crowd and he and Jade have never spoken a word to each other. However, David has always had a crush on Jade who has been particularly invisible to her classmates ever since her brother died her sophomore year. The story starts on graduation day and leads all the way up to college. Everything seems to be going well and you really start to find yourself rooting for their relationship to work out. However, everything goes downhill when David’s past is discovered by Jade’s father, played by Bruce Greenwood. As much as David’ past is complex, Jade’s present is causing a bit of a rift in their relationship, which makes her father jump for joy. So here’s the thing with this movie, it’s not bad, it’s just not all that great.
I think the film, as a whole, was very sweet and pretty to look at. However, so many scenes were cheesy and unrealistic that the sweetness and tender moments were lost and covered beneath them. The acting was by no means spectacular, but it wasn’t unsatisfactory. Also, as far as the film visually, while it was indeed charming, there were a few things that were just off. For example, Jade’s character did a lot of awkward hand movements that were slightly distracting and a few scenes that were so far-fetched (ie. sexing in the living room of her parent’s house, knowing her father didn’t approve of her boyfriend) that I could hear the audience literally gasping and questioning what was happening on screen, along with the horrible hair choices for both lead actors. I thought American Hustle had distracting hair, this one was just out of the park for me. I went with low expectations and left with a urprisingly good feeling about it. I figured it would do well in the box office because it was really the only romantic movie out on Valentine’s Day, but I guess I was wrong. What I’m here to tell you is that it’s not all that bad. There were some pretty funny moments provided by Dayo Okeniyi, whom you may recognize from The Hunger Games, accompanied by the romance we all wish we had. So guys, if you’re reading this and it’s a movie your girl wants to see, do yourself the favor and take her, I promise you won’t hate it as much as you hated The Notebook.
