Based on the book by Nicholas Sparks, the romantic drama, A Walk to Remember, stars two main characters, Jamie Sullivan (Many Moore) and Landon Carter (Shane West) who are brought together by fate. Directed by Adam Shankman, this movie tells the story of the school’s bad boy who pulls a prank gone wrong. In order for a boy to enter is gang, he must jump off of an industrial building into a shallow river, ending p in the hospital. This incident results in Landon having to do community service by tutoring and by being involved in the schools spring play which is where he encounters the serious and hardworking preachers daughter, Jamie. Landon can’t seem to get his memorization of the lines quite well and ends up asking Jamie for help, resulting in the beginning of their newfound love together. As time goes on and Landon spends more time with Jamie, he realizes that she is slowly changing him, but for the better. On the other hand, being with the innocent Christian girl of the school threatens his reputation of being the popular bad boy, yet his love for her cannot be stopped and their relationship flourishes. However, one secret that Jamie had kept hidden from Landon puts a bump in the road and is difficult to get around. Will this unraveled secret tear them apart or just make them stronger? A Walk To Remember will forever be a classic in my opinion because of its characters and the overall messages that are portrayed throughout the movie.

Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter are two extremely memorable characters in this movie. AT the start, they are so different and quite opposite; Jamie being the preacher’s daughter who is an “angel” and Landon how is mischievous and needs guiding. Jamie starts to shape Landon into the man that he had always been and helped him realize what he was truly capable of. Both characters end up defining each other, making them how they are at the end. AS an individual, Jamie is kind hearted, puts others before herself, and defines what being a Christian really is. With the assistance of Jamie, Landon’s character changes immensely from the beginning to the end of the movie. At the start, he was selfish, ignorant, carefree, and rebellious, however, as the movie progressed, he started having the traits of a Christian, just like Jamie. Landon also helps Jamie by breaking through her very introvert barrier and showing her how to live life in the eyes of God and as a teenager.

I believe that there were two underlining messages in this movie. The first message spoke about the unpredictability of death, its timing, its causes, and its life altering results. The second message dealt with the fact that goodness in its purest form can and will draw out the goodness and purity of another. For example, Jamie was young, beautiful, and even tapped into the singing and acting talent. Looking at her, you would have never imagined by looking at her that she was slowly dying of cancer. In Landon’s case, we start off seeing him with the wrong crowd and just an overall troublemaker and it wasn’t until Jamie took the time to encourage him to be much better that he was. These two themes are timeless because he cannot escape death, has no control over when it may occur, and we can’t help but look at those who are troubled and wonder what good intensions and gestures would do for them.

In conclusion, A Walk To Remember envelops the human spirit toward the power of goodness and love between two people. Even though tragedy strikes Jamie, Landon survives because she taught him that death couldn’t separate he joy and peace that love and goodness brings. Landon realizes that the short time he had with Jamie was sufficient to last him a lifetime because Jamie represented truth, honor, respect, and valor, which are timeless qualities that Landon would carry in his heart for the rest of his life. Although Jamie knew she would die at a very young age, her fearlessness enabled Landon to live on.