Reaction to movie review & MLA Citation

After watching the movie, I read the film review by  journalist A.O. Scott, of New York Times. I was so fascinated and moved by the movie so before reading the film review I assumed that the journalist would LOVE the film like I did. Little did I know that most of the journalist's opinions differed from mine. For example, he says, "I was sentenced to spend 97 minutes in the wholesome purgatory that is ''A Walk to Remember." (Scott). I didn't find watching the movie purgatory at all, it was fun not punishment! To me, the movie was exciting from the beginning to the end. I don't believe that it ever had a boring part in it. When the movie first begins, you see a couple of drunk teenagers getting ready to prank a newbie so he can be accepted into their group. That doesn't seem boring because there is laughter amongst them, jokes are told between them, and there is action going on, something to anticipate/look forward to.


The only downward the film had was that it was fairly predictable from the first scene until the last scene. It possibly could be because I read the book but the movie was predictable because most of the events that happened, I've seen it in other romance/high school/chick flick movies. The popular guy falling in love with an outcast or socially unaccepted girl is nothing new. I've seen it in Not Another Teen Movie, 10 Things I Hate about You, She's All That, etc. I agree with the journalist on that aspect but just because it shares similarities with other high school movies does not make it bad to watch. After all, they're all movies that set place in high school so of course, there are going to be some similarities. I've watched all of those films and I do notice their similarities but I still enjoyed it as if it was an unprecedented plot to me. Therefore, I do not believe it was appropriate for him to criticize the movie's predictability. It is an adaptation so it is based on the novel. The plot is the same as the novel so I guess he must be criticizing the novel too?


In his review, he did use a lot of sarcasm to get his point across. One example was when he stated, "I wish I could say that the experience left me a better person, or that, in the favored idiom of studio publicity copy, it ''changed my life forever,'' but by the end I was tempted to go off in search of some industrial scaffolding and a shallow river of my own." (Scott). I personally know very few movies that can leave a person a better person. Most movies are created for one to be entertained, not necessarily for it to be a life changing experience in one's life. The only thing I can say in this movie and most other movies out there is that there most likely is one lesson or two we, the audience, can pick up from them. If the lesson is life changing then so be it but in general, one watches a movie to get a good laugh, to keep up with the action/violence, or to explore the journey of terror and mystery. Also, often people watch movies that reflects upon their life. For example, if one is in a good mood, he/she might watch a comedic movie. Or if one is in love or so in high school, they might watch A Walk to Remember and see how the couple explored their love. Thus typically, movies aren't meant to be life changing, they are just meant to solidify one's taste at a given moment.


"Directed by Adam Shankman from Nicholas Sparks's inspirational novel, ''A Walk to Remember'' proves that a movie about goodness is not the same thing as a good movie." (Scott) is one line in the film review that I found to be a bit amusing.  I'm not a big fan of the way Scott worded the sentence. What does a movie about goodness have to do with it being a good movie...? Those are two different things. I honestly don't know what more he wants from this movie. Yes this is not an Oscar winning movie but that doesn't make it a bad movie. The fact that he said a movie about goodness is different from a good movie was random but I do respect it because it is his opinion. I'm very curious to find out what he considers a good movie and how he would improve this movie in order for it to be a better movie. I also want to know what genre of movies he generally likes (action, comedy, drama, horror, etc) because that could slightly influence his opinion.


Overall, I disagreed with Scott's opinion. I thought the movie was fun, inviting, and there are lessons I learned such as, miracles do happen, always have faith in both yourself and in others, and to never doubt the power of love. The fact that I got those lessons out from a movie all alone made it a good movie to me. Scott, on the other hand, well I'll just have to simply do one thing: research and discover what is a good movie to him. The Notebook, hopefully? Maybe the Last Song? Or does he have a thing against Nicholas Sparks movies...


Scott, A. O. "Movie Review - A Walk to Remember - FILM IN REVIEW; 'A Walk to Remember-NYTimes.com." Movie Reviews, Showtimes and Trailers - Movies - New York Times - The New York Times. 25 Jan. 2002. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9402E0DB163AF936A15752C0A9649C8B63>.