When you combine indie music, golden hour lighting and a beautiful man and a woman who resemble hip Urban Outfitters models, I am automatically going to squeal and think “Endless Love” will change my life. Well, at least the movie trailer intrigued me.
As I watched the movie, I was enthralled with the characters and the sappy storyline. But then I realized something. The movie directors attempted to make this movie like an independent film. Since rom-coms have fizzled out in the movie industry, the independent movies offer a more realistic view of love. While “500 Days of Summer” executed this well, “Endless Love” failed.
The 1981 remake did not get any better reviews than the first one. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 16 percent on the tomatometer. That’s a lot of tomatoes.
I’ll admit I enjoyed “Endless Love” more than I should have. Although it was unrealistic and full of sitcom drama, I still teared up. It’s almost as sappy as a typical Lifetime movie. But, anyone who said this movie does not tug at their heart strings once or (maybe twice) throughout the movie, is just being a tough critic. And maybe they work too much to actually date.
Jade Butterfield (Gabrielle Wilde) is a doe-eyed blonde with big dreams and about to graduate from high school. On graduation day, she meets David Elliot (Alex Pettyfer), the popular boy at school who has been secretly pining for Jade since he first saw her. Then the audience watches the two fall in love among the countless dates, water-gun fights and kissing in the library. Jade’s dad does not approve of David because he doesn’t have the same dreams as Jade and he wants a simple life. Basically, the movie goes back and forth between the two lovers and they are finally reunited at the end of the movie. I think the title spoiled the ending for everyone.
While I do have mixed reviews about this movie, the more I thought about it, I have more negatives than positives.
“Say goodbye to innocence” should not be the subtitle for “Endless love.” While I thought this movie was going to be extra racy, it consisted of one sex scene where Butterfield and Elliot made love passionately by a burning fireplace. It was 10 seconds long and anything but innocent. And how about the 1981 original film with the subtitle, “The greatest love story of all time?” I’m guessing the first film directors thought they won a Oscar award for Best Film of the Year.
Now consider the beautiful people in this film. I have seen this in many movies in my lifetime including “The Notebook,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Titanic.” “Endless Love” definitely should take the gold for the most attractive cast. Gabriella Wilde is actually an Australian model while Alex Pettyfer is a model who starred alongside Channing Tatum in “Magic Mike.”
As I left the movie theater, I realized who Jade and David really were. Two beautiful people in a dreamland of love. The characters in the movie were unrealistic and too flawless to be normal people. Normal people don’t have personal trainers, top-notch skin products and designer clothing.
How would Jade and David look in a real-life college setting? In Jade’s first year of college at Brown University, she would have at least put on 10 pounds. No girl looks like that after battling the hurdles of late night food runs, all-night studying and partying on the weekends. Her longing for David must have surpassed her appetite or she was doing ab workouts between movie scenes.
As for David, it is rare for an 18-year old boy to have a ridiculously beautiful jawline unless someone is an expert at Photoshop. While David is actually 24 years old, he is perceived as a high schooler with broad shoulders, amazing style and an impeccable smirk that makes me swoon. Maybe I just went to a high school with unattractive people, but boys don’t look like that senior year. Some never do.
But if I look past the cheesy titles and the characters that are completely out of my league, I can see how I would watch this movie again along with some wine and Little Caesar’s pizza.
Sometimes you’re just in the mood to see a sappy romance movie. You think “oh my life is a joke, I need to go see something to make me feel better.” And remember, most of the audience was female too unless you dragged along your significant other. That is not cool, by the way.
If you haven’t seen the movie and do not plan on seeing it, I would recommend the movie’s indie-rock soundtrack. The soundtrack made “Endless Love” worthwhile. “Pumpin blood,” by NONONO is the trailer’s theme song and
it’s addicting.
But, “Endless Love” does impact women the way it should as they leave the movie theater. It gives that dose of wanderlust and drama that every woman dreams of before she hits the pillow each night. And who wouldn’t want a man like Alex Pettyfer? A man who does everything in his power to win over the woman he truly loves. Well, yeah if you plan on being monogamous over spring break.
