As the end credits roll, you realize that A Walk to Remember is 2 hours and 20 minutes of your life that you desperately want back. Based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks, the film is one long clich‚ that teems with continual references to miracles, faith and the higher power, with the added bonus of an omnipresent soundtrack comprised of Christian Rock bands and syrupy piano themes. The plot goes like this: bad-boy Landon Carter (a strikingly effeminate Shane West, who seems to think that the ability to smirk three different ways is acting) falls madly in love with the angelic minister's daughter, Jamie Sullivan (teeny-pop jail-bait Mandy Moore who is making the leap from "singer" to "actress"). The characters are underwritten, (a hideous Daryl Hannah plays Landon's mysteriously morose single mother), and at times offensive -- Landon's best friend, Eric, is the only African-American character in the film and repeatedly makes lewd sexual comments to women, dances to hip-hop music and calls Landon, "My brother!". As much as it pains and surprises me to say this, Mandy Moore is the best thing about A Walk to Remember. She is an enchanting and authentic screen presence with a possible future in film. If you make the mistake of seeing this film, see it for her. She won't let you down.
Rating: 1.5 stars (+.5 for Mandy)
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