March 2002 A Walk Worth Remembering…

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by Christelle D. A Walk Worth Remembering… It seems as if every day there is another musical artist attempting to make it on the big screen. We've watched rappers such as Redman and Method Man star in comedies such as How High, we've listened to the divas Whitney and Mariah as they belted out hit tunes in their films The Bodyguard and Glitter and now our generation of pop stars has decided to give the silver screen a go. The latest singer to join the ranks of artists trying to make the crossover is the young fresh-faced Mandy Moore, best known for her hit single, "Candy" that turned her into a TRL regular and scored her a talk show on MTV. Her debut film, A Walk to Remember co-stars Shane West and is based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks (Message in a Bottle). This movie is stuffed with clichés, beginning from the opening scene where a "wannabe" attempts a death-defying leap as part of the initiation into the "cool clique", which bad-boy Landon Carter (Shane West) happens to be a part of. The stunt goes wrong and Landon ends up forced to do community service and star in the spring play at his high school. This assignment puts him in close proximity with Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), the preacher's daughter and definitely NOT part of the "in" crowd. Despite her lowly social status and bland appearance, Landon finds himself falling in love with her (hey, I warned you it was clichéd) and leaves his crowd to be with her. When he finally tells Jamie how he feels, the two start a beautiful relationship. The end? Not even close! After a couple of fantastic dates Jamie tells Landon that she can't be with him because she is terminally ill and not responding to any treatment and she doesn't want "a reason to be mad at God". Of course, Landon "can't live without her" and sets out to prove his love, finally proposing to her and making her number one dream come true (to get married in the church her late mother did). If you don't find the plot cliché enough, don't worry this is just the tip of the iceberg- there IS a jealous girlfriend, Landon coming to Jamie's rescue, a reunion with an estranged father…the list goes on. But as bad as this might sound to some of you, don't write the movie off just yet. The story is incredibly romantic and the cast is great. Shane West does a phenomenal job portraying the sexy, sweet, bad-boy with a heart-of-gold Landon (ladies be warned, if you are single, watching him in action will make you want to rush out and grab the nearest look-alike you can find). Mandy Moore expands on her natural sweetness to play the innocent Jamie and definitely shows promise in her first starring role. The adults in the film have minor supporting roles but are realistically portrayed and contribute to the scenes they are in. There is only one black character with a peaking role in the entire film, Eric, which is excusable because the story is set in small-town America (Beaufort, NC) and based on a story set in the late fifties. Eric is played by AL Thompson, who besides bringing the required spot of color to the film is also the only source of comic relief and an important character in that he is the only member of the "in" crowd to stick with Landon when he chooses to hook up with Jamie. One part of the movie that raised a debate still unsettled is the question of when the movie is set. In the novel, the story occurs in 1958, and the movie is supposed to be set in modern times. If that's true though, then why is the TV in the hospital room so outdated as well as the phone? And while we hear talk of record players, we see Landon sporting a Discman while Eric does the Robot to Missy Elliot…none of this is helped by the fact that the story takes place in a small town with a timeless quality about it. But, time warp ignored, the story flows well in whatever decade it's set in. Even though the plot is incredibly predictable, the movie remarkably manages to pull it off without being corny. I have to admit that when I first heard that Mandy was starring in a movie and even after seeing a couple of trailers, I had really low expectations. I mean cliché plot, pop star actress…gimme a break! But I turned out to be incredibly wrong and I'm glad. This movie will strike a chord with anyone who has a romantic bone in their body and if you are a crier than I'm warning you now, BRING KLEENEX (I found myself misty-eyed on more than one occasion). If you are a cynic and can't stand lovey-dovey couples then this is probably not the movie for you. Of course it could inspire you to "take a chance" and "believe in love" and "have faith" which are all underlying messages in the movie…or you could find yourself having a hearty laugh while the rest of us cry into our popcorn. Either way, I would definitely suggest this movie to romantics, couples or any Mandy Moore or Shane West fan (ladies if you're not a fan yet, you soon will be ;-)).