For the book, see A Walk to Remember (novel).
| A Walk to Remember | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Adam Shankman |
| Produced by | Denise Di Novi Hunt Lowry |
| Written by | Nicholas Sparks (Novel) Karen Janszen |
| Starring | Shane West Mandy Moore |
| Music by | Mervyn Warren |
| Cinematography | Julio Macat |
| Editing by | Emma E. Hickox |
| Studio | Gaylord Films Di Novi Pictures Pandora Cinema |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | January 25, 2002 |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11.8 million |
| Box office | $47,494,916 |
A Walk to Remember is a 2002 American romance film based on the 1999 romance novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Shane West and Mandy Moore, was directed by Adam Shankman, and produced by Denise Di Novi and Hunt Lowry for Warner Bros. The novel is set in the 1950s while the film is set in 1998. The story of the movie bears striking resemblance to a 1978 Bollywood movie Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se, where the female protagonist succumbs to leukemia and the male protagonist proposes marriage to her before she dies.
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[edit]Plot
When a prank on fellow high-school student Clay Gaphardt goes wrong, popular but rebellious Landon Carter (Shane West) is threatened with expulsion. His punishment is mandatory participation in various after-school activities, such as the drama club, where he is forced to interact with quiet, kind and bookish Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), a girl he has known for many years but to whom he has rarely ever spoken. Their differing social statures leave them worlds apart, despite their close physical proximity.
When Landon has trouble learning his lines he asks Jamie for help. They begin practicing together at her house after school. At first Landon is only using Jamie for her help with the play, and treats her coldly when his other friends are around. But as he spends more and more time with her, he is surprised to find she is far from the person he thought she was, and begins to question whom he really wants to impress.
During the play, Jamie astounds Landon and the entire audience with her beauty and voice, and Landon kisses her on the stage. Afterwards, he tries to get closer to her, but she repeatedly rejects him. Soon thereafter, however, Landon's friends publicly humiliate Jamie by altering a photograph of her and placing her head on the body of a scantily clad woman. Landon angrily confronts his former friend, punching him and publicly siding with Jamie. Afterwards, Landon and Jamie begin a relationship in which Landon dedicates most of his time to her. He discovers that she has a wish list, and sets out to make all her ambitions come true, such as taking her to a state border so that she can stand on either side of the line and, thus, be in two places at once.
In the final stretch of the movie, Jamie confesses to Landon that she is afflicted by terminal leukemia and has stopped responding to treatments. Landon gets upset at first, and Jamie tells him the reason why she didn't tell him is that she was moving on with her life and using the time she had left but then Landon happened and she fell in love with him.
Soon, word gets out about Jamie's illness. Eric, Landon's best friend, comes and tells him how sorry he is and that he didn't understand. Other friends come and apologize too.
Jamie's cancer gets worse, her father rushes her to the hospital where he meets Landon. Landon doesn't leave Jamie's side until her father practically has to pry him away. Jamie's father sits with Jamie and tells her that "If I've kept you too close, it's because I wanted to keep you longer."
Landon continues to fulfill various wishes on Jamie's list, such as building her a telescope so she can see a comet. Through this process, Landon and Jamie learn more about the nature of love. The movie ends with Jamie's death, but only after the couple are married in the same chapel as was Jamie's deceased mother, the event that topped Jamie's wish list. Landon himself becomes a better person through Jamie's memory, achieving the goals that he set out to do, like she did.
Four years later, Landon visits Jamie's father. It is obvious that Jamie helped him to focus and become a better person. For example, he reveals he has finished college and been accepted to medical school; prior to meeting her he had no plans for life after high school. He tells Jamie's father that he is sorry he could not grant Jamie's wish to witness "a miracle" before she died. Her father says "She did. It was you."
Cast
- Shane West as Landon Rollins Carter
- Mandy Moore as Jamie Elizabeth Sullivan
- Peter Coyote as Reverend Hegbert Sullivan
- Daryl Hannah as Cynthia Carter
- Lauren German as Belinda
- Clayne Crawford as Dean
- Al Thompson as Eric
- Paz De La Huerta as Tracie
- David Lee Smith as Dr. Carter
- Jonathon Parks Jordan as Walker
- Matt Lutz as Clay Gephardt
Background and production
The inspiration for A Walk to Remember was Nicholas Sparks' sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis, who died of cancer in 2000. In a speech he gave after her death in Berlin, the author admits that "In many ways, Jamie Sullivan was my younger sister". The plot was inspired by her life; Danielle met a man who wanted to marry her, "even when he knew she was sick, even when he knew that she might not make it".[1] Both the book and film are dedicated to Danielle Sparks Lewis.
It was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina at the same time as Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) and the TV show Dawson's Creek were being filmed there. Many of the sets were fromDawson's Creek (1998) - particularly the school, hospital and Landon's home.[2] The total shooting time was only 39 days, despite Mandy Moore being able to only work 10 hours a day because she was a minor.[2] Daryl Hannah wore a brown wig over her character. Hannah had also received a collagen injection in her lips, which went awry and caused noticeable swelling. By the end of filming, however, the symptoms were less obvious.[3]
Release
Box office
The film opened at No. 3 at the U.S. box office raking in $12,177,488 in its opening weekend, behind Snow Dogs and Black Hawk Down.
Critical reception
The film was met with generally negative reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly retitled the film "A Walk to Forget".[4] Rotten Tomatoes reports that 27% of 102 critics gave the film positive reviews, with an average rating of 4.1 out of 10.[5] However, A Walk to Remember found a warmer reception with the general public, particularly in the Christian community due to the film's moral values; as one reviewer approvingly noted, "The main character is portrayed as a Christian without being psychopathic or holier-than-thou".[6] Roger Ebert praised Mandy Moore and Shane West for their "quietly convincing" acting performances.[7] Even though not a critical success, it was a modest box office hit, earning $41,281,092 in the United States alone,[8] and a sleeper hit in Asia. The total revenue generated worldwide was $47,494,916. Despite the bad reviews, the movie was praised by audiences, has over 7 million likes on its Facebook page, has 79% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and holds a score of 7.1 on the Internet Movie Database.
Awards
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Breakthrough Female Performance | Won (Mandy Moore) |
| 2002 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout Performance - Actress | Won (Mandy Moore) |
| 2002 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Chemistry | Won (Moore/West) |
Moore beat out fellow pop star Britney Spears, who starred in Crossroads, to win two Teen Choice Awards. At the MTV Movie Awards, Moore won the "Best Breakthrough Female Performance" for her role.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack features five songs by Mandy Moore and others by acts Switchfoot, Rachael Lampa and many more.
The lead song "Cry" was originally released on Moore's second studio album Mandy Moore. The soundtrack also includes two versions of Switchfoot's song "Only Hope" including the version Moore sang in the film.
Mandy Moore's manager, Jon Leshay, the musical supervisor for A Walk to Remember, "instantly wanted" Switchfoot's music to be a vital part of the film after hearing them. He later became Switchfoot's manager.[9] When they were approached to do the film, the band was unfamiliar with Moore or her music (despite her status as a pop star with several hits on the charts). Before their involvement with A Walk to Remember, Switchfoot was only recognized in their native San Diego and in Contemporary Christian music circles, but have since gained mainstream recognition, with a double platinum album, The Beautiful Letdown which included hits such as "Meant to Live" and "Dare You To Move".
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