| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this movie has very strong language for a PG, with many "s-words." Before Landon cleans up his act, he drinks and drives. It is clear that Jamie is very principled and their only physical involvement is some chaste kisses. At one point, she asks, "Are you trying to seduce me?" and he replies, "Are you seducible?" She says she is not and he respects her for it. Landon?s best friend is black (Al Thompson as Eric), but the character?s dialogue is so stereotyped that he seems like the "token black guy" in "Not Another Teen Movie." He and Landon have an elaborate special friendship handshake, and there is an unintentionally hilarious moment when, after an exchange of sympathy and support, they soberly go into their handshake moves.
Teen Beat pin-ups Mandy Moore and Shane West star as high school seniors Jamie and Landon. Landon, the glamorous bad boy in Beaufort, spends most of his time with friends, partying and pumping up their own egos. After one of their pranks seriously injures a boy, Landon's sentence is to tutor a disadvantaged kid, sweep up, and star in the school play(!). Landon keeps running into Jamie, a plain, Bible-toting girl who always wears the same sweater and does not care what other people think about her. He asks her for help learning his lines. When he sees her for the first time on opening night, all dolled up to play a nightclub singer (apparently their play had no dress rehearsals), it turns out that she is very pretty. He finds himself drawn to her, and, through her, drawn to a better notion of his own potential.
I got more enjoyment out of the squeals of joy from the 9-14-year-olds in the audience than from anything on the screen in this syrupy re-tread of "Love Story" set in a Beaufort, North Carolina high school. There is nothing that anyone over the age of 15 hasn't seen a dozen times, including the plain girl who loosens her hair and turns out to be beautiful, the reunion with the estranged father, and that old favorite, movie star's disease, in which the actress becomes more beautiful as she gets sicker. The direction, cinematography, and performances are barely adequate, but the Beaufort setting is lovely and the movie manages a couple of affecting moments. But "A Walk to Remember" is a movie to forget.
Families can talk about whether they have lists of things they want to do before they die, and how we can help each other realize our dreams. How can we tell that Landon was not happy when he thought he was better than Jamie? How did she show him that he could be something more? When should we care about what other people think of us, and when shouldn't we?
| Topics: | book characters |
| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Adam Shankman |
| Cast: | Mandy Moore, Peter Coyote, Shane West |
| Genre: | Romance |
| Run time: | 101 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 25, 2002 |
| DVD release date: | December 24, 2002 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | thematic elements, language and some sensual material. |