Who does not want to see and experience a miracle in your life? It may sound cliché but we all want to see that kind of sensation in our life, it’s just that some of us are afraid to admit that we want them.
In a movie based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks in the year 1999, it shows us how someone can be our miracle that makes life worth living every second. A Teen Choice Awardee in 2002, “A Walk to Remember” showed us a romantic drama film that has power but is not heavy. With its film stars Shane West, Mandy Moore, Peter Coyote, and Daryl Hannah, they showed us how a miracle can happen.
The film was a romantic drama film without any sexual content. Though it had a heavy plot, it did not need to have mature roles which allowed the film to attract the viewers and readers through the cast’s emotions and acting skills and the film itself.
When we talk about purity and sincerity, Jamie Sullivan played by a young Mandy Moore caught my heart and attention. Her acting skills are so underrated but her eyes make you want to know her even more. She was the good girl that’s been living her life on a school-charity-church basis. No one had ever been close to her except her father. But her innocence had caught the attention of the worst boy a dad could ask for. The film allowed Mandy Moore to show not just her acting skills but also her talent for singing.
A total opposite of Jamie is Landon Carter who was portrayed by Shane West. He is a typical badass student who is a head-turner for every girl on the campus. Peer pressure circled Landon’s head even though he had something inside him. His character and his friends start the film which sets the mood low and dark. It emphasized how Landon is far different from a choir member of the church, Jamie. The prank made them even closer. As a punishment to Landon, he is tasked to join the drama club and tutor during weekends.
The film was surprisingly relatable even though it was supposed to be a teen genre film. The way Landon became the miracle that Jamie was waiting for all his life. He changed not because she wanted to, but he changed because she loved Jamie. Even though it was a typical role for a film, the way Landon chased Jamie is cute and not cringe to watch.
The scene where Jamie – Mandy Moore sang the song “Only Hope” in their theater act, shifted the mood of the film and became the turning point for Landon. He cannot control his feelings anymore and kissed Jamie in front of the crowd. The negative start of the film became sincere and positive after the said film. The lighting starts to get brighter and more romantic music accompanies some scenes, how great is the irony in this teenage love story, right?
After all of the vulgar crudities of the typical modern teen movie, here looks closely, pays attention, and sees that not all teens are as cretinous as Hollywood portrays them. It tells the story of a romance between two 18-year-olds, which is summarized when the boy tells the girl's skeptical father: "Jamie has faith in me. She makes me want to be different. Better."
The plot is something that should not be revealed in this kind of article but it is something to watch for. Through it, everything made sense. Why does Jamie have these wishes, why does she keeps her distance from people, why she always held onto her faith, and why she did not want a reason to be angry at God?
The Peter Coyote character, whose church Landon attends, is handled delicately in the film. Movies have a knack for presenting conservative, anti-romantic, Bible-thumpers as stereotypes. There is some of it in this story; Jamie isn't allowed to date, but her decision wasn't made in a hasty manner alone. But the preacher listens with an open mind when Landon approaches him and asks him to have faith in him.
The film does contain some corny moments. But occasionally being corny is acceptable. I excused the movie's strong emotional content because it deserved it. At the very end, it piles things on a little thick, but by that point, it had already paid for itself.
The way Landon did everything to make Jamie’s wish list possible is so romantic but it is also suitable for the capabilities of a teenager. The way he changed and reconciled with his father had given Jamie a reason to treat Landon as his miracle. The way they gaze upon the stars and dance as if there is no end, is a typical love story but there is a difference between them, they are each other’s miracle.
The film, A Walk to Remember has reminded at that miracles can happen in the most unexpected way and in the most unexpectant person. Just like what the character of Landon Carter said, “There’s only one thing I haven’t told you: I now believe, by the way, that miracles can happen.” Though the story has an ending we did not expect, it is still a classic hit that allows viewers to watch and wonder, how the title was related to the film. simply, because Jamie is Landon’s lane that he walked that he would remember for the rest of his life, while Landon is Jamie’s reason why her most important walk happened. Now, the question is, have you seen this movie? If not, this is your chance to have a glimpse of their miracle.
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