Bah. Dude. All these people on my friends list keep making posts about “ohmygod the sobbing!” after watching A Walk to Remember. And just. Ugh. NO. Its Mandy Moore and Shane West, people. In an adaptation of a novel who’s ENTIRE PLOT CAN BE GUESSED IN THE FIRST FIVE PAGES. After which, the whole thing just becomes cheesy and seems to be trying too hard. And really, its not like the character development is that great. Its not like there’s a lot of character to be developed. “I’m like this because I can be, but deep inside I’m really like this, and she’s like this over here, and she brings my true this out and so I love her and it all ends so traumatically, only its so transparent that its really not traumatic at all, its just kind of sad. PS, I will never love again, ARE YOU CRYING YET?!?!”

Uh. No. No, I’m really not. Seriously, I get more worked up watching Piper pitch a fit on Charmed, or about that damn episode of ST:TNG with Data’s daughter. Partially because, y’know, Holly and Brent can actually act.

Which is not to say I was entirely unmoved by AWTR. Its sweet, in really simple ways, and Mandy just glows quietly, you can see why he’d like her, even without any real character going on. But, really, the shining point of the movie is her singing “Only Hope.” And for something that’s supposed to be some kind of tear-jerker romance…that’s really kind of sad.