I’m going to be completely honest: I expected to hate this movie. I thought it would be “The Notebook” all over again with a younger cast and more indie music. But, after sitting through the one hour, 43 minute run time of Endless Love, I’m glad to say that I was wrong. The movie, though a rather basic modern-day romance, was actually pretty moving and by the end I found myself completely invested in the love story between Jade and David.
This remake of the 1981 movie by the same name, that one starring Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt, was surprisingly witty and completely romantic in a way few films I’ve seen before have been. The plot itself seems pretty basic—a young rich girl with overprotective parents falls in love with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks and her father heavily disapproves and tried to break up the young couple. But over the course of a summer Jade and David have fallen completely in love and refuse to be separated by her father’s low-handed and manipulative schemes.
This movie is pretty predictable, though that did not make me enjoy it any less than if it had a huge plot twist. I found it an easy movie to watch that didn’t require much of me other than to sit back and enjoy the love story between the two actors, who were surprising in their acting skills and impressed me. Especially the actress Gabriella Wilde who portrays Jade Butterfield in the movie and has only done a few movies prior to this. I found her to be quite a good actress in her part and didn’t overact the way I was expecting her to when I walked in.
The film is also incredibly cheesy, which at times had me cringing a bit in my seat but mostly had my heart melting. It’s romantic in a way that only movies about first love can be, the kind of romance the characters rush into without any real thought or logic, just pure, fun passion.
The real standout of the film, though, was the soundtrack. It was well-put together with exciting and new artists and beautifully written love songs. I found myself throughout the film paying more and more attention to the soundtrack, a personal favorite of mine is the song “Don’t Find Another Love” by the sister-duo Teagan And Sara. Other tracks from the album include artists like Franz Ferdinand with “Right Action” and The Tallest Man on Earth’s cut “Leading Me Now.”
Is it worth going to see? Well, that depends. Are you a person looking for an action packed movie with kick-ass CGI and hot topless women? Then, no. Are you a person interested in watching the rashness and passion of first love unfold over a breathtaking summer? Then, absolutely. It was enjoyable to watch, though not a movie I could picture picking up any Academy Awards or much critical acclaim. I never much cared for all the pretentiousness when it came to movies, though and I enjoyed Endless Love simply because it was a witty, adorable and heartwarming movie. It is the kind of movie that makes you want to go out and fall in love and just act reckless and young.
It was the perfect movie to watch with my girlfriends on a Saturday afternoon, and we completely enjoyed ourselves at the theater while we giggled and swooned for the lovely David and his killer smile. I enjoyed almost every minute of it, even if at times I found my inner cynic rolling her eyes at the over-the-top romance on screen. The movie is exactly what it’s supposed to be–a tale about feeling the excitement and rush of love for the very first time, and the stupid things it makes you want to do. Endless Love, for me, was endlessly surprising.
Photo courtesy of Universal Studios
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