What Is It?
This film,, is a modern adaptation (the original took place some where around the 30's) of the book by Nicolas Sparks. Here a Christian girl with here single pastor father, live in a small town. Though she is unpopular, she starts hanging out with one of the popular bad boys of the school.
How Was It?
The story was moving and beautiful. The head actress being Mandy More demands a unless scene of her standing there singing a song while nothing happens. This movie inspired me to read the book. I'm not always a "the book is better" guy, but this time it was. The movie lacks something after reading it. For one thing, in the book there is a "Walk To Remember" referring to her struggling to the alter at her own wedding while leukemia has set in. There are other points where the book wins out. (See "Spiritual Issues")
Is It Good For Kids?
There is a lot of crewed language, though no one ever uses the "Lord's name in vain." you also watch one kid graphically act out an imagined sexual encounter between a teacher and his friend. You can check www.ScreenIt.com for a complete break down of elements shown on the screen.
Though the confusing spiritual messages may be more to the point here.
How about Spiritual Issues?
- First, most the non-Christians act like non-Christians.
- But what about the Christian girl.
- When insulted she insults back. ("Can't God find you a new sweeter?" "He's too busy looking for your brain.")
- She "deceives" her father and then justifies it because what she said was not a lie, she just didn't tell him the whole truth.
- And why did she deceive her father? So she could spend the night looking at the stars with the bad boy (now turning good). He asks if it was possible to seduce her. She tells him no. And that's the end of that. This is a very dangerous message to send to teen girls today. This is NOT a safe situation; alone, all night, with a boy, and her dad doesn't really know where she is.
- She also starts a relationship with the boy. He never converts to Christianity, so she is dating, then marries a non-Christian. Though this often happens, it is shown here as a good thing, and that never happens. Furthermore, though he does not convert, he becomes a better person, without God.
Finally, at the very end of the movie we get the message of the film. Toward the middle, she was asked about God. She gave the Billy Gram like answer that you can't see the wind but you feel it and see it's effects. (Perfectly correct.) The film ends with the non-Christian boy, who is now single again because she is dead, giving a voice over. In it he says that "Her Love" is like the wind. So we see her, in a very skillful crafted film, the message that we all just need love. She had God's love and he had her love.
Side note: it's no big deal that in the hospital where she gives him a book and tells him "Don't worry it's not a Bible." But in the book It is a Bible. Also the book is a story of the boy, now a man, recounting not only how he fell in love, but how he found faith.
What Is Your Recommendation?
Don't settle for a movie just because the main character claims to be a Christian. She is not a good example, though held up as one, and the movie has a negative message. Ironically, many people thought that Mandy More was taking a step back when she did the movie "Saved" mocking the hypocrisy around Christian schools. If you look at the ending of both, they both have the same ultimate message. "Just live a life with love."
Leave the movie on the shelves, and get the book.
