Valentine’s Day for movie-goers means only one thing, brace yourself for love stories shoved down your throat. The issue becomes, what love story could possibly be released at this point that is fresh and something that hasn’t been done a thousand times over? Unfortunately for “Endless Love,” fresh and new are not adjectives I would use to describe the film. Fortunately for “Endless Love,” it probably doesn’t matter because this is a film girlfriends and wives will certainly drag their boyfriends and husbands to see.
The film stars Alex Pettyfer (“I Am Number Four,” “Magic Mike”) and Gabriella Wilde (“Carrie”) as David and Jade, a young couple in love. And as so many plots go, the girl comes from a good family with money and the boy comes from a broken home with a shady future on the horizon. Of course, under those circumstances the girl’s father absolutely does not want his daughter involved with a boy like that. There are some dark elements in both David and Jade’s past which fuel the themes of the plot. It really is the same old story.
The positives for this film include the supporting cast, which include the funny sidekick, played by Dayo Okeniyi (“The Hunger Games”), and Jade’s mother, played by Joely Richardson (“Nip/Tuck”). The two fathers of the film were crucial to the storyline and were done very well. David’s father is portrayed by Robert Patrick (“Identity Thief,” “Lovelace”) and I think the role was captured spot on. Jade’s father was embodied by Bruce Greenwood (“Place Beyond The Pines,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”).
The music throughout the film was left on repeat in my mind long after I left the theater, unfortunately not in the best way. It fit the film just fine but was more filled with tunes that irritatingly get stuck in your head.
In all, the film was decent, I don’t want to make it sound like I literally did not like it. There was nothing wrong with it, but there was also nothing special about it either. “Endless Love” was as cookie cutter as they come, except we never see the couple in question grow into an older age which is what cements love stories isn’t it?
Would this film make for a good Valentine’s Day date? It doesn’t matter, because many a young couple I foresee will be viewing it.
“Endless Love” is definitely geared toward a teen to young-adult audience. For its purpose and considering the time of year, I would suggest to the boys and men out there, suck it up if your woman wants to go see it. Do I recommend this as a film? If it was not Valentine’s Day, I would not recommend seeing it in theaters. Again, under the circumstances, this film serves its purpose. It was made for Valentine’s Day. For me personally, though, my love for this picture is not endless.
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