Love brings together what peer pressure and lifestyles seek to keep apart in this coming-of-age story based on the bestselling book. Teen idol Shane West and multiplatinum recording star Mandy Moore star as two high schoolers -- she a straitlaced preacher's daughter and he an unmotivated delinquent. When events thrust him into her world, he begins an unexpected journey he'll never forget.

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Format: DVD

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Shane West does an excellent portrayal of High School bad boy Landon, and his desire to be popular and cool will surely strike a chord in many of our hearts. After all, during our precocious teenage years, there are arguably few things that are more important than being cool and universally liked by peers. One's self esteem is invariably tied with how others perceive us. And so that is how Landon is, until he meets sweet Jamie Sullivan, the local preacher's daughter played by beautiful Mandy Moore. Moore lends her character a huge amount of depth and surrounds her with an innocent, heartwarming aura, so much so that by the end of the movie, she can do no wrong. In addition, the movie is littered with many fabulous songs that are sung by none other than Moore's beautiful voice. One piece that stands out is "Only Hope", a beautiful song that will have your optical water droplets rolling out on more than one occasion. Another great tune that will get your good feelings swirling is "Someday We'll Know".

As you watch their relationship blossom throughout the movie, your own feelings are inextricably linked and you find yourself cheering the couple on, marveling at their sweet times spent together and secretly envious of the intense love that they have discovered. For guys, I warn you - Jamie is so incredibly pure and unselfish that she will have your hearts fluttering by the end of the movie. As for Landon, he will no doubt reside in many girls' dreams for months to come, and he demonstrates a type of love that transcends ordinary levels, completing Jamie's life in each and every way. He shows her a love that she has not experienced before, and she helps him to discover himself and fills him with a desire to achieve higher things in life. There is a lot of hidden depth, and even when Landon fulfils Jamie's first and foremost desire (which I shall not reveal for those that have not seen the movie), he says it in such an unselfish way that it evokes true admiration of his love for her. By being together, they have both achieved things that were previously not possible.

By the end of the movie, the viewer's faith in love and everything pure and good is restored to unshakeable heights. Love is truly the most powerful emotion known to mankind, and this heartwarming story reminds us that despite the challenges we face on a daily basis, there are things in life that make the experience truly worth it. To be able to witness the kind of love that Jamie and Landon shared is truly unforgettable, and as Landon says during the movie, "We had more happiness than most people experience in a lifetime." A Walk to Remember is a truly moving story that urges us to have faith in true love and to cherish all the wonderful things that we have in our lives.

68 of 73 found the following review helpful:

Beautiful...a Classic in the MakingJul 06, 2002

First off, please pay no heed to the critics on this one. They seem to have written it off as just another in a long line of typical teen films, giving it their typical (and apparently recycled) reviews for such films. In their prejudice, they fail to realize the uniqueness of this film, especially in this day and age. Sure, the story -- based on the best-selling Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name -- is nothing new: big man on campus falls in love with misunderstood misfit harboring a tragic secret. The difference here is in the presentation. Instead of the jaded, busy and noisy perspective taken by most teen films, "Walk" is quiet, gentle, full of hope.

The plot is simple enough. Popular bad-boy Landon Carter (Shane West) is sentenced to various after-school activities as punishment for his participation in a prank gone terribly wrong. Consequently, he comes into contact with do-gooder Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), the preacher's daughter and school outcast. They grew up together, so he thinks he's got her all figured out; but as they spend more time together, he comes to realize that he never really knew her at all. They begin an uneasy friendship that blossoms into more. Along the way, they share some of the most romantic moments ever on film. Sadly, a tragic twist threatens to end their happiness.

The film benefits greatly from its two young leads, both of whom turn in outstanding, genuine performances. West has the difficult task of portraying a young man who undergoes a life-changing transformation from angry, aimless troublemaker to thoughtful, loving young man. His depiction is so convincing that by the end of the movie, you can actually see on Landon's face that he has indeed found inner peace from his prior internal tumult. West is especially brilliant in the school play scene where, without uttering a single word, he manages to display Landon's inner struggle over his feelings for Jamie. Quite a thing to behold. Moore is a revelation here as well. In her first lead role, she has chosen quite a difficult (and beloved) character to play, one that if not done right would inspire snickers and laughter rather than tears and sympathy. It is a tremendously challenging and pivotal role. And Moore pulls it off beautifully. Displaying strong screen presence, she shows acting range that belies her theatrical experience. She imbues Jamie with the ethereal radiance and quiet serenity required of her character (and by the novel). Rarely -- if ever -- will you see a more gentle, sincere and altogether believable portrayal of innocence. Together, these two are magic, sharing a chemistry that is not only natural and warm, but palpable and electric.

As with any film, "Walk" is not without its flaws. The directing could have been better to help in the flow of the narration. The film could have been about 15 minutes longer to sufficiently develop Jamie and Landon's relationship (though I suspect there were many deleted scenes). And it does not entirely stick to the novel. Those who have read the novel will find that there are many differences. Amazingly, however, the film still manages to capture the feel and essence of the book in that it can make your heart full and break it at the same time. Moreover, it dares to believe in faith and hope. It dares to believe in the transforming power of love. It dares to believe that young people are capable of true, intense and everlasting love. And though it happens to feature teens, it has a universal message -- and that message is up to the viewer, for it never seeks to preach.

More than just a love story, "A Walk to Remember" is anything but typical. Ultimately, it is about faith and hope...and living. No superficial make-overs or fart jokes here, folks.

Memorable, indeed.

26 of 28 found the following review helpful:

A Movie That Will Be RememberedJun 29, 2002
By Gary
After seeing the trailers to A Walk to Remember, I have to admit, I wasn't psyched about seeing this movie. It seemed to be yet another stereotypical cardboard cut out of recent teen movies in the past few years. There are a few 'chick flicks' that I have enjoyed in the past, but they're not my favorite movies. But, because of my friends eagerness to see the movie, I gave in, and went to see it. The results were very surprising. This movie wasn't just another average 'chick flick,' it was something much more. It became one of my all-time favorite movies.

The movie is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, and tells the wonderful tale of two people who are the definite opposites of one another only to be brought together by a miracle. There is Jamie Sullivan, played brilliantly by Mandy Moore, who is a shy and meek girl who is always teased on by her peers. Her head remains strong however, because she doesn't allow the rude and immature comments penetrate and hamper her uplifting spirit. This is a true definition of a great person. I always admire someone who isn't afraid to be themselves and not be terribly afraid of what other people would think or change themselves to be something they're not. Jamie has high morals that she never allows to be jeopardized. There is also Landon, played by Shane West, whose only concern in life is not to jeopardize his reputation in other people's eyes. Both of these characters are brought together by an incident and fall amazingly in love. This tells a wonderful and amazing story of how true love can be.

Before watching this film, I doubted Mandy Moore's acting capabilities, but now I realize just how fitting she was for this role. Shane West also plays his part convincingly. The story is combined with an awesome cast to produce a remarkable and very rememberable movie.

17 of 18 found the following review helpful:

A particularly good girl reforms a quite romantic bad boyFeb 22, 2004
By Lawrance M. Bernabo
"A Walk to Remember" is another one of those bad boy/good girl movies that manages to transcend the fact that we have seen this story dozens of times. The bad boy is Landon Carter (Shane West), who runs with the popular crowd and is responsible for a dare than has tragic consequences. The principal decides Landon needs to meet some new people are orders him to help the janitors, tutor at the grade school, and join the drama club. That last one is important because it brings the bad boy and the good girl together, but the idea that the principal can put the "bad boy" into the school's big production where he can ruin it for everybody else bothers me big time.

The good girl is Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), the daughter of a widowed reverend, who stands apart at school because she carries her Bible and always wears the same blue sweater. Although she is the subject of looks and comments from Landon's crowd, she never bat's an eye because she really does not care what others think about her; she has a numbered list of what she wants to do during her life. The film does not make a lot out of the fact that Jamie is a Christian, but it is certainly a key part of her as a person. What I liked is that Jamie is a "good" Christian, by which I mean that she not only embodies her faith but that she does so without pushing it on anybody else. The stereotype in films is for Christians to be judgmental and superior, which constitutes an implicit attack on such characters. The character of Jamie might be too good to be true, but she is what makes this film work.

More importantly, she gets the great line. Early on in the film as Landon continues to take shots at her, Jamie looks him up and down, makes a couple of totally on target remarks and finishes him off with the declaration, "You act only works on an audience." It is one of those lines that makes you sit up and take notice, whether you are watching the film or simply the character at whom it was targeted. Meanwhile, he has the most romantic moment in the film, when he fulfills one of the items on her list (being in two places at once). Ultimately what makes "A Walk to Remember" so differen from your standard teenage films is that it is about romance and not sex. Hopefully some of the teenage males who watch this film will get a clue on what romance means and how powerful it can be. But I have to worry that your average teenager is not in a position to appreciate a movie like this where the teenagers are intelligent and written that way.

For this 2002 film the novel by Nicholas Sparks, which was set in 1958, is told in the "present" (it is not linked to any particular year). I was fortunate that once again I was oblivious to the big twist and did not know it was coming even before the opening credits. My biggest hint that something was amiss was when we find out what is #1 on Jamie's list and I did not think it was big enough to have the top spot. Of course, in the end it all makes sense. My only complaint with the end is that when we get to the obvious thing that needs to be said it just gets said and I was expecting it to get punched up for the grand finale. It would not have been that hard: Landon gives the Reverend Sullivan one of the two important books in Jamie's life, so the Reverend should have given Landon the OTHER book and in it would have been that which needed to be said.

13 of 14 found the following review helpful:

Why the critics were so wrong about this movieJul 26, 2003

This wonderfully tender movie was trashed by most critics. (A notable exception is Roger Ebert who gave it an excellent review.) After reading many of the bad reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes site it hit me that most of the reviewers were outraged that the film makers dared to make a movie where the main teenage character (Mandy Moore) isn't cynical, sarcastic, angry, faithless, disillusioned, sex crazed and everything else Hollywood has been trying to tell us for years is cool. Of course, that's the point of the whole movie. In a sense the critics cast themselves in the role of the kids at the cool table mocking the one girl who dared to be different. Just as the kids in the movie told blatant lies about the Mandy Moore character, so too the critics did the same. Many of them called the movie predictable and cliche ridden and said we've seen it all before. When? 40 years ago? I have three grown children and eight grand children. I've watched hundreds of movies for tweeners and teens in the last 20 years. I don't think I've ever seen this particular theme delt with so sensitively and with so much insight into how much courage it takes to be different at that age. The film shouldn't be judged by the admittedly melodramatic turns of the script. This movie is about the struggle of two young people to be individuals with values and dignity. Their fight not to be swallowed up by the pop culture norm is epic. The filmakers fought the same battle sucessfully. A Walk to Remember will be watched by confused teenagers struggling for identity for decades to come. They'll receive from the movie a rare encouragement to be an individual, to form yourself outside the parameters of an MTV culture and to remember the cool kids are eating the same crummy cafeteria food at their table.

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