Amor sem Fim

To my surprise I actually really enjoyed this movie.

I wasn't sure with all the P-G 13 romantic movies, I figured nothing would make this stand out and it would be another typical teenage romance.

I was pleasantly surprised with the film and though it may be a bit clichéd, I was captivated by the tender acting of Gabrielle Wilde.

The character of the tough, stubborn father of Gabrielle brings to perspective the reality of needing to let go of the past in order to allow in good of the present.

There's really not much more to say. This film isn't very deep, or original, but it was nice to watch.

This is a beautifully filmed love story with something for everyone. Gabriella Wilde and Alex Pettyfer are the faces to watch this year. This is not a rehash of the older version, but an updated story for a new generation. The soundtrack was fresh and didn't overpower the dialogue. Shana Feste ( director and writer on Country Strong and The Greatest) is great at getting emotion out of young actors and makes her characters lovable.

It was refreshing to see a light and lovely story with no murder or vampires involved. You will actually leave the theatre feeling happy. The audience clapped at the end...when does that ever happen?

Hollywood has been running out of ideas for years – remakes, sequels, prequels and reboots now seem to be the order of the day. What's hard to imagine is why anyone thought a remake of Endless Love was necessary in the first place. The 1981 film of the same name – based on a pulpy, albeit well-regarded, novel by Scott Spencer – wasn't even that good to begin with. At least that version of the story had the distinction of starring a young, nubile Brooke Shields, not to mention a title song that became more famous than the movie itself. This remake manages to be both extremely bland and painfully melodramatic, bled of almost any hint of controversy or genuine complexity and darkness.

Jade Butterfield (Gabriella Wilde) is the quintessential poor little rich girl: a beautiful, blonde ice princess who has shut herself in with her parents, Hugh (Bruce Greenwood) and Anne (Joely Richardson), after the untimely death of her brother Chris. David (Alex Pettyfer) is a kid from the poorer side of town who has nursed a crush on her throughout high school. She's college-bound, he just wants to work in his dad's (Robert Patrick) workshop. When they finally connect, sparks fly and Jade starts to re-think the safe, perfect future she's planned with Hugh.

It's all very cookie-cutter high-school romantic melodrama. Nothing about this film feels particularly fresh or smart, although it does start out a little better than you'd expect. But, after the initial meet-cute between Jade and a thoroughly smitten David, Endless Love quickly descends into trashy predictability: Hugh does everything within his power to get rid of David, but the spark of love and lust between the star-crossed couple burns so hot and bright that nothing will stand in their way.

What's frustrating is that the film has almost completely excised anything even remotely complex about its plot and characters. The 1981 movie may have been faintly terrible and soapy, but it at least made a stab at psychological darkness, suggesting that the 'endless love' of the title bordered more on creepy, damaging obsession than sweet, romantic love. There's no such suggestion here: David is troubled but ultimately noble; Jade is purely, truly in love; and it's the curmudgeonly Hugh who must realise the errors of his ways.

The cast is watchable but not really memorable. Pettyfer broods as if he knows he's meant for better things. Wilde is effortlessly, often stunningly beautiful, but doesn't have much to offer beyond that. Greenwood has the most scenery to chew – he practically twirls an invisible moustache and cackles at some points – but it's Richardson who walks away with the film's few affecting moments (even though her character loses much of its shock value in morphing into the archetypal loyal, loving housewife).

You would imagine that, in a cinematic landscape overrun by remakes, these films would – at the minimum – have something interesting to say about the times in which we live now. They can make a case for their existence, perhaps, by being a little edgier than the original films: explaining why there's a need to tell this old story again. Endless Love doesn't really manage that. Instead, by forgoing depth and darkness for schmaltz and sentiment, it ends up being even safer and sweeter than a movie shot over thirty years ago.

There are plenty of reasons to remake a movie. Even the movies which were good in the first place. Would we say that no one can revive a Broadway play because it was so good the first time? Should a Beethoven symphony never be replayed because we have Bernstein's magnificent recording? We remake originals because we feel we have a new take on them. (Shakespeare thrives on that.) If the original was forgettable (or even forgotten), a remake will probably be easy (although not necessarily any better). But if the original was very good - or at least very memorable - a remake will be quite a challenge. The original Endless Love was controversial - either good or bad, depending on who is describing it - but it certainly was memorable. It was melodramatic and very much a soap opera - but it made the most of what it was. This remake fails the challenge. It remodels the guts of the narrative without retaining its bite. The original was dark, even risky. This is just sort of vanilla, if a bit anxious. I like Alex Pettyfer's work a lot, but he shouldn't have been cast as David, not because he couldn't act the role (he did well with it) but because he was too old. David is supposed to be just graduating high school and too shy to approach fellow senior Jade. Alex was coming off his very buff role in Magic Mike. He looks tall, dark and handsome. No way he wouldn't have had girls - and boys, too - all over him. Jade would hardly not have noticed him. The original - with David being 17 and Jade 15 - didn't face that problem. When producers secure the remake rights to a film, they pretty much can do whatever they want. But that doesn't mean it will work. This remake doesn't make it as a feature film. As TV movie which wasn't titled Endless Love, it might have fared better.

Personally I actually liked this movie, regardless of the annoying people sitting behind me laughing the entire movie and the people sitting beside me who were crying the whole entire time for god knows what reason. This movie was not a serious movie, but one of puppy love. Its similar to movies such as The Last Song, Letters to Juliet, Dear John, the Vow and the Lucky One. While these movies aren't all that serious and have a lot of depth, they're a good light happy movie that you'll walk away feeling happy from. I actually thought the acting was very good, and the movie was actually pleasant, and something I would definitely see again. I mean what do people expect when they go to watch a movie called 'Endless Love', honestly of course its going to be a cheesy love story about a girl and a guy falling in love. I mean thats what the whole story is about, so if you don't like a good old fashioned love story than this isn't for you. I will say that it is more of a girls type of movie than a guys movie, but thats not to say that a guy would not like it to. I rate this movie about a 7/10. It is a good movie, not great, but it is a cute love story that was a good pick for me and my girlfriends to see on valentines Day. Happy Watching.