At this point I found myself feeling that comfort that we all feel in the knowledge that we know exactly what is going to happen in a movie. At some point in the movie, girl momentarily transforms from ugly duckling into swan.

I find myself struggling not to watch it whenever I see it listed, such a charming movie is this! The plot seems to be initially a rather predictable foray into the traditional territory of bad boy meets good, but sadly plain girl. I must admit I was more than pleasantly surprised, enough so to actually watch it more than once, and consequently feel compelled to write these comments. I happened to watch it on TV one Sunday morning expecting something somewhat usual and predictable. I can not say that A Walk to Remember was a movie that I went out of my way to see, or even that I recall it being aired in any UK cinema. By the way, it does so help being a hopeless romantic! On reflection, it is the film's very simplicity, lack of pretension and strong supporting actors that serves it so very well. It blows LOVE STORY totally out of the water. The mere fact that this flick has pulled an everage user rating of 6.6 would suggest a LOT of people liked it. So long as Jamie was on-screen ripping my emotions apart, the rest really didn't matter! What a stunning performance from so young a girl with barely any acting experience. At times I agree, the film seemed to be headed down THE MAJESTIC path of over-sentiment but I'm sorry guys, I don't care. I was impressed too with Shane West's performance who at times was so reminiscent of a young Kevin Bacon somewhere around his FOOTLOOSE days. She was for those moments, every man's dream and the epitome of virginal translucence. I thought her rendition of 'Its gonna be love' during the school play was cinematic magic. She was utterly spellbinding in every scene she was in - which was most of them. An impossible blend of strength, integrity, natural beauty, youth, feistiness, femininity and vulnerability - Mandy Moore delivered a performance so genuine and moving it totally stunned me. Perhaps the deep-rooted protective instinct in my nature, maybe a reminder of what I never found but always desired, but I would be lying if I did not admit to falling totally in love with Jamie, matter of fact that would be an understatement. Call it manipulative, unrealistic, contrived, saccharine, whatever your pleasure - but I absolutely lost my heart to Mandy Moore's character here. Never in all these years have I come across as beautiful and pure a character as Jamie Sullivan - and to think I gave MTV the flick whenever Britney-clone Miss Moore, started up her song of the month. I don't know - I'm way too old for a middle life crisis, maybe its the onset of dementia, but this film really got to me.

Book review of a walk to remember