“Endless Love” starring Alex Pettyfer (David) and Gabriella Wilde (Jade), met the expectations and criteria of the usual remake of a teenage romance movie. The plot is possibly described as the typical forbidden young love between two people that are swiftly moving in two different life plans.
Jade, a sheltered innocent high school graduate is first attracted to David when she witnessed his wild side after joining him on a joy ride in a stolen car from the valet where David worked. The love between Jade and David blossoms while the disapproval of David from Jade’s father, Hugh Butterfield, grows just as fast.
Still scarred from his son’s previous death, Butterfield tries to keep his daughter safe by pushing her towards a career she is not passionate about and keeping her from expressing the love she feels for David. Jade’s father’s efforts lead to a dispute between him and Jade causing her to choose David even more. However, a certain plot twist within the movie helps bring the relationships between Jade, Hugh, and David together once again.
The acting of Pettyfer and Wilde was passionate and believable; their dialogue and movements made the love feel genuine. Pettyfer portrayed his usual stubborn, affectionate character that loves the girl more than he loves himself. Wilde’s acting style projected well onscreen next to Pettyfer. Bruce Greenwood (Hugh) did a fantastic job of playing the protective father to his daughter.
However, the speed at which Jade and David fell in love was far from realistic. A couple would not be able to fall in love within a few days as Jade and David accomplished. The disapproval from Jade’s father, who was once her favorite person, and her new exciting love-interest was extremely similar to the Romeo-Juliet-effect in the sense that one’s relationship becomes stronger simply because family members’ dissatisfaction is present. This seemed a little corny and childish, but did not ruin the whole entire movie.
Compared to other timeless romance chick-flicks such as “The Notebook” and “Titanic”, “Endless Love” is definitely not up to par with them. They are classics that will be popular still for years to come while “Endless Love” has temporary status.
For the majority, “Endless Love” was quite a loveable movie despite some rough concepts. Audiences will be able to feel a part of the drama and love of both Pettyfer and Wilde onscreen.
