I also appreciated that Mandy Moore's character's faith wasn't treated as zealotry or with ridicule, as occurs in a great many films. She is unapologetically true to her faith, and her faith and how she expresses it is treated respectfully. It's a rare portrayal, which was nice to see.
It's probably a rare portrayal because of how rare it is in real life. As the saying goes: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."
The reason why I love this story is she sets boundaries and enforces them. She wouldn't allow him back into her circle until he truly apologized and showed that he was truly sorry. He didn't get away with just doing a grand gesture, it was a lot of work and constantly saying you're right I'm sorry and then proving through his actions that he was sorry. I liked the character development for him mainly because of her backbone and expectations of him following her boundaries and if not then she shut the door in his face.
@@anniewallace3601 I agree, contrary to what some might believe, Jamie wasn't attracted to Landon's bad attitude, nor was she using him as a way to rebel against her father. Rather, she fell in love with him when he showed that he was a kind person, deep down.
I agree, I think the guys looked down on this movie and looked past that. I don't think her love changed him, I think her self respect and boundaries helped him realise some things about himself and about the world and pushed him to mature. Because like, in the beginning it's not like he's bad, not really, the way he's acting stems more from immaturity, he cared what his "friends" were thinking about him like he was in f-ing 4th grade, he also acted towards girls like he's in 4th grade, throwing tantrums and stuff. He just needed someone to take his toys away and ban him from watching cartoons, so to speak, until he shows good behaviour :)) And yah, I think she didn' t like him because he was an ass, she just saw the potential, and saw that the behaviour stems from insecurity not from actual bad intentions. It was more like having an injured dog in a cage, who's shows aggression because he's scared, but then you bandage his wounds and he can see you're not there to hurt him, but to help. When I was in highschool I thought this is an ok movie, but all the boys i knew absolutely loved this movie. And knowing them, they were hearing a lot of "you're not good enough, you won't amount to anything" both at school and at home, so it makes sense for them to have this fantasy.
Perfectly said. Jamie was a good character. She didn't allow bad behavior. She was not a hook-up girl and she wasn't a "Christian-goody-goody" that allowed people to walk all over her. She was unapologetically herself, she had respect for herself
@@bethanywallace8575 I agree! I love Jamie. You don't see the full scope of her character the way you do in the book, but it would have been so easy to make her seem meek and subservient, or judgmental and righteous, and she's neither of these. She is very intentional about her boundaries, partly because she knows that her time is running out, and she wants to break as few hearts as possible.
I'm not religious at all, but the "I don't need a reason to be mad at god" line made perfect sense to me: she had found peace with her illness, accepted her imminent death, in part because there wasn't anything in particular keeping her here. But now "he happened", and she has something she *wants* to stay for, but she knows she can't because god has already given her a death sentence. Why would god tease her with something she wants to stay for, when she can't stay? I'd be mad at god, too...
@@bunniewoodGod gives then takes or maybe it’s really the other way around? maybe both?seems like we’re not really meant to really understand God or something considering we’re flawed and will all die unlike God so idk
@@irmacuster8081 Maybe. Still a dick move on god's part. I mean, we generally consider it unethical to use someone else for your own purposes without their informed consent. Just because you're god doesn't magically make it ethical...
@@TheBookDoctorwhat you’re saying makes total sense. It is pretty messed up for any god to just decide what happens to you and you’re powerless to it. I believe that I have a higher self who is working with God on what I want to experience, what I personally felt I needed in order to learn and grow and progress. God doesn’t make my choices for me, he makes them with me, and I make them with Him. Just thought I’d share a different perspective in case that was helpful or interesting.
@@Jonathan_Collins Agreed, it reminds me of the "Woman in Refrigerator" trope, in which the protagonist's wife or girlfriend is killed to kick-start his tragic backstory or path of vengeance, and she's very rarely referenced afterwards.
I don't really think we can classify this as a "my love can fix him" trope. She's not actively persuing him or expressing her undying love before he actually falls in love with her. In fact its the opposite. The minute she sees that he is still a douche, she lets him go. She does treat him with respect but isn't actively trying to change him in any way. That's all him. To me this feels more like a "rivals to lovers" and a "bad boy turned good" (Like the Grinch). This really is my favourite feel good movie. Whenever I feel upset, this movie always gives me a good cry.
Yeah they really hit the nail on the head with the I-pick-on-you-because-I-love-you trope, which is not based on reality at all. The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of the least realistic ones out there.
@@lindenpeters2601 Also the "Befriending an Enemy" and "Duet Bonding" trope is used here. I wouldn't say that "enemies to lovers" is the least realistic trope, the "my love can fix him" trope is more problematic and less realistic that the other one imho. Hate and love are very close to eachother if we view the emotional side of it. You hate because you know how to love. The relationship he has with his dad is a good example of this. He hates his father because he once loved him but he feels betrayed that he left his mother and therefore his love turned into hatred. The opposite of love isn't hate, its indifference. To be honest, the "enemies to lovers" is my favourite trope of all. It goes hand in hand with the slow burn. Those two combined is just *chef's kiss*.
Agreed. She’s not trying to fix him in any way. Her being her self coincidentally impacts him enough to be a better person from just talking and being around her.
Jamie's philosophy in this movie was basically do no harm but take no shit with the added values of Christianity and I lived for it. It was savage AND considerate! What a boss!
That was exactly the way Jesus lived, he wasn't a pushover like many think. He fought when he needed and loved people when they needed it, he loved sinners but didn't sin with them. He'd also fashioned a whip and chased money worshippers out of town, as that's the root of all evil.
"I do not need a reason to be angry with God" is an incredible line, and I can't really understand not getting behind that. I think rather than leaping to a wth response, a little time spent thinking about why that line was said would lead to an appreciation for how she expressed how she feels about him without saying it explicitly. The actual meaning behind the line is "you came along, and I suddenly want *more* than just fine - more than God wanted to give me."
In the book, Jamie was too sick to stand up properly without a wheelchair, so the title refers to her walk down the aisle to meet Landon at their wedding, which he interalises in his narration as "A Walk to Remember." I wish that they'd referenced it in the film.
or if they not gonna to put that, change the title... I love the movie but I have no idea about this information and never understand the english title... I'm in Brazil and here the movie is call "A Love to Remember" not a Walk....
I had a real life experience vaguely similar to this movie: the man I loved died in a car accident when I was 22, but in the brief time we had together he changed my life in many positive ways. He helped me learn to see past the end of my nose, to consider things and people and concepts outside of myself. Teenagers are fairly impressionable and so I find Landon’s about-face a little more feasible. As Jono notes, you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Landon went from surrounding himself with his popular but callous clique to spending most of his time with someone who possessed far more maturity and empathy as a natural result of her own experiences and circumstances (plus his lovely mother played by Darryl Hannah). She helped him see past the end of his nose for the first time. I see that as him being inspired by a positive role model who gently nudged his thinking in healthier and more compassionate directions. Yes, it’s an optimistic and unlikely outcome, but it’s not impossible. The romantic relationship came only after he changed AND showed her that the change was sincere. I agree with Alan’s criticism but I thought I’d add my two cents about Jono’s.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. I was actually surprised he missed that part of how quickly it can happen at that age occasionally. I truly believe sometime around teenage years is actually the first crossroad of every person's life where they basically choose who they want to be for the rest of their lives. I'm not saying you can't change after that point, but not many people do. Usually the teenage years are the biggest catalyst for these life decisions. Of course, the brain isn't fully developed yet, so there will be much chaos and stumbling along the way.
I think you missed a lot of context for Landon's character. First of all, teenager. Second, look at his friend group. Third, preacher's daughter, holding her Bible in her lap, is trying to make small talk with him, and one of the things she mentions is going to visit the boy he was responsible for putting in the hospital. His response is a defense mechanism. The relationship he has with his mom is a small part in the movie, but I think you can tell she knows he can be soft and considerate. Realizing that basketball was a way to make the geometry connect wasn't simply because of Jamie, and he didn't care if Jamie noticed or not at that point.
You keep saying how unrealistic it is that he would change for her but I think he changes because he wants to. She doesn't pursue him, she actually lets him go when she sees that he actually is a jerk. And then he sees and admires her values and learns how to be better. Also, he's a teenager, of course he can still change. Tell me you haven't met teens who were absolute jerks and then went on to become great people. Don't know if it's just me but you really missed the point with this movie. 😅
I don't think the point of this is even a love story. It's about peer pressure and growing out of toxic friend groups. And Jamie doesn't magically fix him with her love. She inspires him to be who he always has inside. He is the only one who jumped in to try saved the kid they pranked. He genuinly shows interest after a while in tutoring. He is scared and he sees she isn't. She inspires him to want to change himself because he was always going to grow out of his friend group. They are bullies and he isn't. This isn't really about them him and Jamie. That's why she doesn't make it all the way to the end. It's like Titanic. Jack doesn't have to be real. Likewise Jamie doesn't have to survive. Landon needs to growp up. His scowling is an internal struggle because he is at odds with his choices. He just needed a positive role model and she became that for him. He falls in love with her as a byproduct of wanting to be like her. In a weird way, it's him falling in love with himself and learning to love and respect himself. Her sincerity and authenticity inspire courage in him. He thinks "if she is brave enough to be herself, I can too." It is beautiful, albiet cheesy. Yes, it's tropes are exhausted. But that doesn't mean it's just a silly teen romance. Sometimes silly movies can still have a lot of heart. And sometimes people do change. I was a drug addict since I was 14. And then my partner inspired me to get help. I did it out of my own. Sometimes miracles do happen. And it is for us, like it is with Jamie, to let people prove themselves and show that those miracles do happen. She never had to chase him. He clearly always admired her. It was only a matter of time. A Walk to Remember is about the courage to be who you really are, the miracle of standing up for what you believe and to have faith in those who don't have faith in themselves...❤
I made this exact same point. He wasn't a "bad boy" who was fixed by a girl's love. He was a good kid stuck in a bad group of friends and became more true to himself after shedding THAT toxic relationship for a different one.
It's been a while since I last saw this movie, so your comment made me remember why I didn't feel like Jono and Alan's comments were not on point. Like, I do agree that this movie unfortunately gets in the no good very bad grand scheme of "my magic love will fix bad boy" (cuz the general structure is very similar), but the details are a bit different, and that's relevant.
Sometimes it feels like Jono and Alan miss some parts of the story in Therapist Reacts. Which, y'know, fine for a watch party. But for a show such as theirs... I think is not a great thing.
lol, I just wrote a comment basically saying the same thing before I saw this! It’s nice to see that people who watched the film really see the core and that this is not the typical girl saves guy tropes. And care about the true beauty and the very healthy aspects of this film being called out.
She had accepted that she was dying. She had accepted that she will never be a bride. Never be a mother. Never have this entire life that many of us take for granted. She had accepted that her life and death was in God's Hands. Then she fell in love. She is now grieving all of the things she will never have. She's angry at God. How hard is that to understand?
As far as "I do not need a reason to be angry with God", she's saying that she's fallen for him and wasn't expecting it to happen when she was sick with cancer. And she doesn't want to get to the point where she's mad at God for bringing Landon into her life when she's so close to dying. Like a "why would You bring this amazing person into my life and then have me die before we can spend life together?" kind of thing. Or even in Landon's case "why would you bring this amazing woman into my life who loves you and is everything i could hope for and then take her away?" I honestly had a similar reaction to you my first time watching this movie, but after taking time to process, I think that's what she's attempting to say.
Exactly! She had already accepted her fate, she didn't want to feel angry at God for putting him in her life and not being able to live a long and happy life by his side. So I really understand that line
I think it has a scene where he tell her that he's mad with God or don't believe God because of bad things that happen, something like that... so when she says that is like I have a good reason, but I choose not to be... I not sure, maybe i need watched again :D
Interesting analysis. I never saw this movie as a "my love can fix him" trope film, but I can kinda see how it could be portrayed that way. I find it difficult to see her as the savior when he was the one who ended up pursuing her for help and then later on deciding to change things for himself on his own. I also very much admired that she set firm boundaries with him and wasn't afraid to cut him off when the respect she showed to him wasn't reciprocated. I will say though I very much agree that "bad boy" tropes are usually annoying and I hate them.
They didn’t do the walk full justice in the movie. In the book she’s in a wheel chair by the time they get married, but she gets up to walk down the isle to Landon (I don’t remember for sure; but I think she has to be in the wheel chair for the actual wedding). The fact that she walked at all at the wedding was the important part.
Yes Exactly! That was The Walk to Remember! The whole focal point of the story! It always annoyed me that the movie changed and left out so many things.
@@Moonlight.Howlings.666 Preach, those who haven't read the book might think that the title is a reference to Landon and Jamie walking past Landon's old buddies after Landon defends Jamie from their bullying prank, or another walk altogether.
I'm pretty disappointed that Jono who is always about establishing boundaries, doesn't point out how awesome Jaime is at establishing and enforcing boundaries and instead refers to it her setting boundaries as "sassy".
I’m a little shocked at their whole assessment of this movie, honestly. It’s a favorite of mine and I see the toxic in there, but it’s portrayed as toxic. Idk. I’m missing the things the guys are criticizing.
@@00juls00, it's not portrayed as toxic. Its another basic "I can fix him" trope. The movie would not have changed all that significantly if hey had just made the guy nice to begin with, because now she just looks like a fool falling for some awful, dusty guy for no reason.
What confuses me is not on the movie but the fact that YOU GUYS DIDN'T GET IT when she said "I don't need a reason to be angry with god" RIGHT AFTER she said "and then you happened". Like her bringing up god is not out of the context at all. She accepted that she will be joining God soon. She didn't attached herself to other people (she didn't really make close friends) and my theory is that she's purposely making herself look unattractive so that she wouldn't hurt other people once she passed away. Well, until Landon came in to the picture. This is WHY she's angry with God. She doesn't want a reason to want to stay and yet, God gave her Landon. Take note that I'm nowhere near religious. Idk what to feel, I'm surprised and also a little bit disappointed but I digress. We have different views anyways and I'll still watch your videos LMAO
“I don’t need a reason to be mad at God” does make sense to me. It is, if I remember correctly, her trying to tell Landon she is trying not to fall in love with him/vice versa, because she was happy before dying leaving nobody behind. But now, if they fall in love, she has the temptation to blame God for stealing a beautiful future with this person. Her worldview is very much “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away” which is very easy to adhere to when you have nothing to be taken. But if you have love to be taken, you can quickly become possessive of it, warping your own worldview and cracking your resolve to follow Christ no matter the cost. I follow the writing.
The entire time Jonathan decker basically made fun of the whole Christian quality of the movie, which is surprising over the fact that he himself is personally a Christian or so he's claiming to be.
My read on it is that he didn’t change because of her but because he sent another teenager to the hospital and that put things into perspective. And also, he chaned because his high school counselor forced him to change environments and do new things: Being in the school play (which meant he had so start working seriously in order to avoid public humiliation) and tutoring younger troubled kids (which would make him less self-centred). Now, I think Jamie had a good influence on him too BECAUSE she didn’t give in to him until he showed some respect. But that was secondary to the other things having an impact on him.
100% agree. I was surprised at the take he changed because of her and that it was inauthentic. I always saw it as due to the prank gone wrong coupled with the change of environments (away from his usual group) to spend his time being productive. Landon also wasn’t meant to be a bad egg but someone who wasn’t handling his parents divorce and feeling unworthy and unloved. Jamie just showed what it is like to have boundaries and his acting out was not acceptable.
Although I agree that the "Bad Boy changing with the help of a Good Girl's love" Trope is problematic, it's worth noting that Jamie didn't properly fall for Landon until he showed his nicer side. Similar to Kat and Patrick from "10 Things I Hate About You", she knew that he was kind deep down, which was her miracle, as her father put it.
Still not realistic, or something to be encouraged. I’ve know plenty of women ( and some guys ) who got to know a jerk’s “nicer side” or they were only nice to them. Who later left the relationship because they were being abused one way or another. Like them being nice was just a lure to trap them ( through something like marriage ). That’s why it’s important that when you date a person always pay attention to how they treat others not just you. The difference can save your life. This trope may be cute or work on paper. But it’s a red flag, or just straight up toxic trait to watch out for in real life.
@@outathisworld2130I agree mostly. The thing unlike many times is most girls that feel that the bad boy will change with her love, they truly don't see or can find a reason for the guy's badness. They are often attracted to the badness itself. Jaime does know this is a kid affected by a father's betrayal, divorce and truly being pressured by popular people. He is not a bad boy around his mom and does see other times he doesn't really fit the mold. She is also knowing she will die and is not like many, including a younger me, forecasting the "happily ever after" that probably won't happen.
@@candilynnn I don’t think knowing where the badness comes from will change the fact that _their still acting bad_ Trauma and hardships can only serve as an excuse for so long, at some point you need to take responsibility for your behaviors and life choices It’s like Jono said in the video “if their not changing for themselves, what makes you think they’ll change for you?”
I always thought her faith ended up inspiring him after he was made to interact with her more, and love blooms through the process. Her love didn't save him. It was the testimony that grew from experiencing hers.
@@LivingFire_BurningFlame Yes, me too, it's unintentional hilarity at its finest, though at least they reconcile towards the end, when Landon's dad pays for Jamie to have medical treatment at home.
Is that what that was about? I figured his dad was a well-to-do man who divorced his first wife and got remarried, leaving his son with his first wife. The son ended up feeling jaded, cut him off, and became a bad boy because of it. Now, he goes back to his dad for the first time in a long time with the emphasis being that he never asked him for anything else and is asking for this one thing.
Wait what? I haven’t seen this movie in years but is that not a horrible, bad faith interpretation of the scene? He was a “bad boy” because he had unresolved trauma about his parents’ divorce. He wanted nothing to do with his dad because he was so bitter and angry inside. He felt abandoned by his dad and his new life with a new woman. Then when he learns Jamie is sick, he goes to the only person he can think of who could help (a doctor) even though he really wasn’t ready to open that door again. He got upset because the answer was “oh I don’t know if I’ll be able to help. I’d have to look at her chart - blah blah doctor speak.” And that set Landon off because even though what his dad said made sense, Landon saw it as another instance of “I’m not important enough for you to drop what you’re doing right now and come and help me just like always.” Which was made even worse when his wife stepped outside too. It was his own insecurities and past traumas with the addition of a broken heart from knowing he’s going to lose the girl he loves that resulted in that reaction. It wasn’t “omg a cardiologist can’t cure my girlfriend’s cancer durrr” - it was “here’s another instance of me needing someone and my dad still continues to not prioritize me or my needs.” And it was filtered through an immature 18 year old’s brain who is going through grief so it manifested in misplaced anger.
In defense of this story: I was a shy, christian, artsy, preachers kid in a small southern town when i first read the book and related to Jamie a heck of a lot. I didnt fall in love with the movie, i did the book. It was much more "slow burn" in the book and Landon wasnt nearly as big of a jerk. At 14 i didnt love this movie because I wanted to change a bad boy, i loved it because my self confidence was in the trash (i thought i had to be Brittany Spears to be attractive) and the idea of someone seeing me as interesting and beautiful was very the way Landon did jamie gave me hope.
He is so unhappy and sad. His anger at everyone is how he keeps the sadness inside. It's a facade. He was drawn to her because she was open about who she is without apology, she was calm and happy (something he didn't have with his friends), and she never judged him or made him feel like he could make mistakes. She encouraged him, she prayed for him, she believed in him when nobody else would. She didn't start falling until he began to change and she got to see who the good guy was. He fell because her calm and peace was like a breath of fresh air. She fell because she liked who he was when he stopped pretending. It's a good story.
😂😂😂 This was one of my favorite movies as a teenage Christian girl. I recently watched it again for the first time as an adult and realized its obvious flaws. But it still charms me even now, though less naively. I agree with Jono that it's a more healthy relationship than the Notebook for sure. But I don't think his change is as out of the blue as you are saying here. Maybe from what she sees you could say that, but the audience is given several little clues that he's actually kind before he even meets her. For one thing even though everyone else is on the ground and he has to climb down an entire tower, he's the one that rescues the boy who jumped. Nobody else would take the risk to help, but he did. (That's why he got caught.) There's also a girl who likes him, which I will give you isn't strong evidence, but her claim from the beginning is that even though the other boys in their group are jerks, Landon is different. He's kind and good. She's apparently seen evidence of such before. And lastly he is good to his mom. Even when they don't see eye to eye he is never cruel or nasty to her. These are little things, and Jamie doesn't see them, but the audience is shown them precisely so that his change doesn't feel random or implausible. He was actually good from the beginning, but afraid of what his friends thought, a not too uncommon adolescent problem. Jamie doesn't try to change him with her "magic sex". There is No sex. She's not seducable after all. She is just herself and treats him as she would anyone. She's not afraid to be herself. This more than her love, inspires him to be himself instead of being afraid of what his friends think. She doesn't fall for him until after he shows demonstrable proof of his goodness. "Prove it" she says. And he does. The execution is shaky, but the story itself is good. I'd totally watch a remake of it, lol.
Also for the way his friends act, I seriously went to high school with at least 3 boys who acted exactly like that. Especially the boy who's obsessed with the hot teacher's boobs. There is no end to the obsession of teenage boys for the hot teacher.
My FAVORITE romance movie. This one never pissed me off the way literally every other Nicholas Sparks movie does for a number of reasons, but the main one is pretty meta. The director of this movie is a gay Jewish man, and he brought his own understanding of his faith and love into the filmmaking. It would have been a very different film if done by someone who wanted to make a preachy movie (I'm Christian, I know -- we don’t need more evango-nationalism-lite romance lol). But I also appreciate that the man changes for the woman in this movie, and the change isn’t a change to his character but, rather, how he expresses himself. He was always a good person. You see that in the first scene where Landon is the only one who stays behind when his stupid prank goes wrong. He's just too caught up in his own pain and teenage angst to prioritize being a good person until Jamie puts life into perspective for him, in more ways than one.
That’s so true. It’s a small detail but that gives you a hint that it’s not a sudden heel turn but encouragement for genuine expression. It’s the only one of two NS films I can tolerate, the other one being Nights in Rodanthe. My favorite part of the latter is when you see the art studio devoted to Yemaya (the ocean orisha).
I am ready to cry. Bring it. And I love how this movie is the perfect example of “accepting influence”. And I feel him trying to be better did not come out of nowhere. You see those little moments where he has a moral code, but he “accepted the influence” of the wrong people. And it is not just Jaimie he is trying to be better with. He is nice to the kid he is tutoring. He listens to Jaimie’s dad and his mom. It is these little things that build up. And I felt it took a lot of courage to ask his dad for help and I am glad you see his dad is trying in his way. His dad is trying to wait until Landon is ready to make the first move, to speak. So I don’t think this is just “accepting influence” from her, but to the good people around him. She just started the process.
I had closed captioning turned on and the "shrieks of despair" at 0:56 just about killed me, then "Christian Pixie Dead Girl" hit. You guys crack me tf up, I swear.
I was a Catholic High School girl when this came out and it was the best. Did it give unrealistic expectations in relationships? Sure but so do many romcoms. Also the “Dont need a reason to be angry with God” makes perfect sense. If youre religious, you believe that if you put in the good work, be a good person, God will bless you but also if things go badly lets say if you have a terminal illness, eventually you should accept it and think of it as God’s will. That He has a plan. That you should be grateful for the life youre given. But now Landon comes along and she wants something for herself. She begins to question why this happens to her and all that. Its a common belief in Christianity or Catholicism to question God’s plan. Jesus said himself “God why have you forsaken me” so the thought isnt out if nowhere.
He hates everything because he hates himself. If he pushes everyone away, there is no one left to disappoint. I think the goodness was in him...VERY deep down. She just showed him how to not be afraid to be a good person and to let people in. I'm not into bad boys, I just LIVE for redemption arcs. I want to see them learn to be better.
On the point of being truthful from the beginning about the disease….I doubt either of them thought the friendship would evolve into something more, maybe just surface level. But she did tell when the feelings were getting stronger. He still had a choice to leave but he didn’t and that’s amazing. I understand her view that people will only look at her as some sick girl and be weird around her. I had leukemia (now in remission) and when I met new people, I didn’t tell them I had leukemia, it’s not their business to know everything about me unless there’s something more to the relationship (like true friendship, dating, love, etc). I met many amazing people who are my friends. They got to know the real me, not just some sick girl, so every conversation was not about how I’m doing or how the treatment is going. When I told them, they didn’t pity me, they just supported me by being the same old them (we disagreed, arguments, made fun of our rivals, we had tons of fun, late night conversations, teasing, etc). That’s how I met my husband too. I told him when I started to feel something more than friendship. I told him how I felt and about the leukemia. I told him it’s his choice if he wants to leave. He stayed. The best support system I ever had. My point is sickness doesn’t define your entire personality. If you are upfront about being sick, people will consciously treat you different, they wouldn’t be themselves. Once they get to know you a little they’d know your personality enough to be normal around you.
At around 19:00 - okay so it makes sense to me because Jamie is firmly religious and dependent upon her faith in God. She says "I don't need a reason to be mad at God" because she sees that if Landon is so good to her and loving, that she doesn't want to die. She has already made peace with her terminal illness, and she sees Landon as a wrench thrown into her plans to pass on peacefully. The love and tenderness that Landon provides is worldly and keeps her committed to the institution of Planet Earth. According to the Buddha, desires and worldly attachments are distractions from enlightenment. Because Jamie wants to pass on, any worldly attachment makes her angry at her God...make sense?? I really love that line.
8:42 more like an overprotective father/parent. It's not hard to believe that he probably stood up from his chair when his daughter went to answer the door and then closed the door behind her. I don't think he was trying to intimidate Landon, but he was kind of like "what the heck?" and making Landon aware of his behavior (you know, the yelling/shouting).
I don’t think Landon just suddenly turned into a good person. He was a good person (yet troubled) deep down and Jamie saw that in him which is why she was drawn to him. Also she doesn’t fall for him until he shows that side of himself so I like the way this movie handles their relationship
I feel like taking their relationship out of context here limits the perception of Landon's character and his motivations. At the start of the movie, Landon’s actions reflect his complex sense of morality. He stays behind to help the guy who gets injured due to their group’s reckless behavior, but this decision leads to his own punishment-he’s the only one caught. From his perspective, this reinforces his belief that doing the right thing is futile and that good deeds are often punished. He and his mother were abandoned by his father, a respected doctor, which deeply affects him, making him feel worthless and powerless. As a result, he’s become cynical, believing that people are hypocritical and will screw you over or abandon you if you truly open your heart to them. His relationship with his friends is shallow and unrewarding. Then Jamie enters his life and suggests that the good in him does matter, and tries to make him see the value in connecting to others. This idea makes him uncomfortable because someone he never noticed before has noticed him. She genuinely makes him feel seen and appreciated-perhaps symbolized by his performance in the play. However, he thinks that if she truly believes what she's saying, she must be naive and spineless. After acting like a dick to her in front of his friends, he is genuinely surprised when she stands up for herself and turns her back on him. It doesn’t sit well with him because, for once, he had convinced himself that she was actually a good person-and that means his cruelty is the reason she’s abandoning him. There's a reason why this happened, and he can fix it. It gives him a sense of control. So, he becomes obsessed with her. Her approval and her love for him are his moral desert. That’s why his mother is concerned about his ambitions. His comment-"she believes in me, and I feel like I can do it"-sounds naive now. Jamie becomes his entire life and his sole motivation. But when he discovers she is dying, he is forced to reevaluate his morality and sense of self. He can go back to his version of "being angry with God" or find a reason to live and try to be the best version of himself within himself. At this point, his love for her becomes the source of his motivation. He starts reconnecting with people in his life whom he had previously discarded, finding meaning in these relationships, and shifting his focus entirely from making himself feel better to helping others.
@@CinemaTherapyShowAlan has been a part of so many movie critiques I've watched, that I've started to hear his voice transposed over whatever movie-related critiques I read online.
"When the ego breaks from the outside the world ends, when it breaks from the inside the world begins", this is an example of the ego breaking from within.
I get the impression that after the divorce of his parents(however that went down), and likely feeling abandoned by his father who clearly wasn't involved enough in Landon's life to be any kind of positive role model, I don't think the version of Landon that you see from the start is his true self but a mask of sorts that he puts on to hide behind and protect himself while being wrapped up in himself. Despite the trouble he'd caused his mom, he's never actually disrespectful to her. Gets moody when the topic of his father is brought up, but never becomes outright disrespectful of his mom. There's that one scene with his dad after seeing the play where Landon walks away from his dad without really hearing him out let alone offering a chance: Dad: "Landon? Fine performance, son." Landon: "What are you doin' here?" Dad: "Your mother told me about it. I thought we might get a bite after the show." Landon: "I'm not hungry." Dad: "Landon, don't walk away." Landon: "You taught me how." Then later talking to his mom: Mom: "Well, I talked to your dad today. He says he saw you at the play. For about ten seconds." Landon: "Yeah. Sending a check once a month doesn't exactly make him your father." Mom: "Landon, there are a lot of reasons..." Landon: "He left us, mom." Mom: "You need to forgive him, too." Whatever happened seems to have left Landon pretty jaded by the start of the movie. So in a way it could be less that Landon is changing for Jaime, and maybe more getting back in touch with himself or rediscovering himself after so long of pretending to be something he's not to cover his pain. Just another possible way to explain why he seemed like a total jerk in the beginning, to shield himself.
I think the allure of stories like this is that the guy starts out as "unlovable" and mean. And sometimes we feel like we are that unlovable person. But knowing that there is someone out there who could give us the chance to be better and help us grow to be that better person we wish we could be, feels good.
I see that way too in Landon's case because he has a serious dad issues, family problems, he's pushing everything for attention... I wish they talk more about Landon's parents, because explain a lot for me
I read a lot of Nicholas Sparks books, but I felt that A Walk to Remember was highly memorable because he wrote Jamie based off of his real sister who was in a Christmas play and really died from cancer. I can’t remember more except her deterioration was tragic(“Three Weeks with My Brother” memoir by Nicholas and Micah Sparks), maybe that’s why they skipped over it in the film. But the character of Jamie always seemed to have more substance than any characters in his following books.
I just gotta say, I started watching your videos at least a year ago, and the content never disappoints. I always either come out feeling something or having a new appreciation for a movie. You guys remind me there's yet hope for humanity. Never stop being our Internet Dads :)
I never really seen it as her "fixing" him. It was more like he was playing the bad boy persona to fit in but seeing her being unapologetically herself without caring what others think kinda inspired him to show more of his real self and mature. So he was kinda a good person to begin with and she saw that, so she just pushed him to make the move. As for the "I don't wanna be angry with god", it's very obvious. It reflects how she accepted her fate, but falling in love with Landon made her want to continue living so she felt like god was unfair to make her experience this love at this time while she's dying.
There's something delightful in finding out what people REALLY dislike. It's always fascinating when soomeone I know well particularly loathes something, it's like this character illuminating moment when you figure out what specifically gets under someone's skin.
I literally found this movie because I was on a Switchfoot shtick when I was 16, and they have four songs in the soundtrack. It grew to become my favorite movie not titled "Star Wars." But the edit I first watched had a different line; instead of "Then Jamie went with her unfailing faith," the line I heard was "Then Jamie went to be with our God." That's actually the line I prefer because I think it completes Landon's character arc. To this day, I don't look for my Juliet, my Bonnie, what have you, I'm looking for my Jamie Sullivan. Thank y'all for finally getting to this movie.
One reason I think the "my love can fix him" trope is popular is because there are women out there who felt unloved (or worse) in their family of origin, and so they get into relationships with avoidant attachment types or outright abusers, playing out those familiar patterns, always hoping that person will come around and give them the love they always wanted from their first family. Storylines like this show it actually happening, and the idea that it could feels so alluring, even if the reality is that these types of people rarely change, and if they do, it's not because you fixed them, but because they did the work themselves.
But she doesn't try to fix him and she doesn't feel unloved in her life. Her Dad is overprotective sure (understandably so for her unique circumstances) but he does show he loves her. She doesn't pine for anyone to complete her. She has a bucket list because she's young and she wants to leave the world without regrets. She challenged Landon and was pleasantly surprised when he responded positively with his own love for her.
Some of the best relationship advice that my mom, who survived a DV relationship with my biological father, gave to me was: If you feel like a relationship with you can "fix" a man, run. Do not get into a relationship where someone "needs to be fixed" and that you can be the one to do that.
I don’t think Jamie was not trying to change Landon. She wasn’t naive. Also, she distanced herself from him when he was a jerk to her. She also believed in him which is love.
Attempt #(22) of asking for Spirit : Stallion of the Cimarron!! Was my absolute childhood movie growing up and the filmmaking is so beautiful with amazing scores and concepts of loss and staying true to once nature even in the face of adversity!
She doesn’t want to be “angry with god” because she sees that not only is he falling in love with her, she’s falling for him too. And she’s scared of how that will be for him and herself. Seeing what could be a beautiful future together if not for the leukemia. 😢 If you’ve been there, you know. 😔
Is it me or this was actually one of the very good cinema therapy sessions? I really enjoyed your chemistry in this episode guys; I felt closer to you. You were fun and made fun. Great
I think that as I matured and rewatched the film over the years, the relationship between Landon and his father captivated me more than the love story. I was like, “Now THAT’S love!” Reconciliation is beautiful.
As a girl who grew up watching these kind of movies and reading these kind of books, I can totally tell you that I somehow turned the whole "good girl saves bad boy" typo into a strong belief that cost me my mental health during teenagehood and early adulthood. After two major heartaches and toxic relationships that ended up in years of therapy, I had to come to terms with the idea that you also expressed so beautifully in this video "In real life, if they won't change for themselves, what makes you think they're going to change for you?". It feels so good to think of yourself as the "savior", when in reality you're just signing up for constant mental damage in these kind of relationships. Thank you for making videos like these! Maybe you can consider also discussing about the movie "The Fault in Our Stars" or "Five Feet Apart". I would love to see your take on a plot that has both characters terminally ill and how you guys explore this sort of attachment that forms due to sickness.
If we don't hear from the adults how sophisticated and nuanced these tropes can be subverted and teach us how to be better people, we are doomed in interpreting reality from our skewed hormonal choas as teenagers. Jamie wasn't looking for romance, she just wanted to live as completely as possible without regrets before she died. She was scared and surprised by Landon's impulsive love. She challenged him and he responded positively, if not always appropriately. He had to learn how to tamper down his libido, because she was not going to give up her values for anyone. He had to decide if changing was worth it to him. It is he who says "She makes me better," but still was a long ways away from emotional maturity. But in our teenage brains we see all of that and wrongly assume that she was fixing him so that she can be loved by him. I hope you will stay healed and keep growing.
One of my all time favorite movies about transformative self-awareness. The book is a better story, but they usually are. I am not a religious person. If you striped away the religious aspect, it's a story about meeting people where they are in life and giving them the grace, empathy and support they need to make their life better for their future (aka as human decency). Landon was an absolute jerk but he was also doing it to fit in with the crowd. How many of those kids stuck around and supported him when he started trying new things for himself? Not many. And he then realized, he was indeed a jerk and so were his friends. In the end, they were both kids who were learning some thing about self-awareness of who they were and who they were influenced by for better or worse. One thing I think we need to be mindful of is that every person deserves a little care regardless of their past. Otherwise, we're telling those folks with spotty histories they're not worthy of our time. It's good to be cautious, and Jamie shows that in this movie absolutely. But, she also shows, it's okay to try to offer friendship, be challenged with new thinking or behaviours, set a boundary and communicate when it's been crossed. When these things happen, that other person might begin seeing themselves differently. :)
Actually what's interesting about Walk to remember is the Nicholas Sparks when he made the book he basically based it off of his sister and his brother in law inside like his sister would one day to come to her sickness 0:10
I’m watching this while caring for my mother who has cancer and while I know the ending of this film I love that we’re able to get a sweet love story with drama. I look at my parents and see how strong their love is and know that if they got together before my mom was diagnosed my dad definitely would have stayed with her and done what he is doing now, being her caretaker and best friend. We’re not religious in any way but we’re thankful for the blessings we’ve been given. Obviously this film isn’t entirely realistic but it’s still memorable because when you’re young you can go through different relationships as you yourself grow until you find yourself and the right person
I had a friend go through something similar. Christian girl, but artsy. Funny, kind, really into anime. Two different guys took an interest in her, but she had a conviction that she would only date a man who had Jesus as his Lord. Both men started coming out to church, began investigating the bible, and were ultimately baptized into the same church. Then they both wanted to date her, of course. To the first man - teen, actually - her parents said "No, she's too young to date." He respected this, stepped back, continued to be her friend as well as an active member of the church. In fact, he was already friends with many of her friends due to shared faith and values before the conversation even happened. He even snuck to church with his dad to get baptized because his mother didn't want him to! He never asked my friend to compromise her convictions and was always respectful of her parents. The second man wanted to date her as well, but I guess she thought he wasn't a good fit? He pretty much dropped off the face of the planet once her reluctance became clear and quickly went back to his old way of living, which was very un-Christlike. It took a few years, but she did eventually date and marry the first man. They've been married for 10 years now. They will be the first to tell you that it wasn't their attraction that made their relationship work, but their mutual priority of Jesus over even each other.
I understand the "not need a reason to be angry with God" line and maybe one can't understand it unless they've had such an experience themselves. It's saying, "I have a reason to question my faith and be angry, but I choose not to be angry with Him and hold on to my faith." I've had my own reasons to be angry and have chosen to hold on to my faith and I don't want those around me trying to give me a reason to be angry that I've had two stillborns. It's held me together. Luckily, everyone around me supports me in that. Jamie wants to live life and love, but she doesn't want to be angry she can't have a long life with the person she might choose to live as a spouse. But she should still tell those who grew close to her so they could make their own decision.
As a person of faith I agree. I have plenty of reasons to be angry with God already. I have many more reasons to love and trust Him, and those are what I choose to hold onto.
I just wanna say I’m so thankful for this channel. It’s crazy to say that I have cried and laughed throughout difficult situations in my life with complete strangers on the Internet, but you guys have been there for me when I didn’t have anyone else !! I’m so grateful that I stumbled across your channel that one day I was just struggling to understand Human behavior and I’m glad that I found something that put my two favorite things together!!it’s awesome!! you guys are an amazing example of true friendship, and just know that your hard work and your experiences and are not falling on deaf ears because I am thankful to say I have overcome trials and have grown so much because of this channel please don’t stop or I’ll be sad 😅😂
I always took her being angry with god statement, as she accepted she was going to die, but now God brought this love into her life, and it's making her angry that she'll have to leave this behind and die young instead of living her whole life with him, like now she has more to lose.
I dont think Landon, did a 180 turn, its shown throughout the movie he is a good kid at heart, ( like when he was the only one to jump in after the kid who jumped and got hurt while everyone else ran) he's just a hurt teenager, who doesnt have a good relationship with his father and hangs out with a bad group, and does the dumb teenage thing of trying to fit in by any means. I think Jaimie just showed him how to not care what others think of him ( because she sure didn't), and he was drawn to that, ( it was shown he just went with the crowd even when he didn't want to) she started to inspire him to be like that and in the process he fell for her. The movie subtly showed Landon was a decent guy underneath just angry, Jaimie just showed him how to be unapologetically himself because he saw her do it. Ive always loved how Jaime ( despite obviously liking him) doesn't try to actively change him or follow him around trying to love him until he loved her. When he was a jerk, she dropped him, she didn't put up with that and wasn't going to take that treatment from him just because she had a little crush on him. She seemed fully resigned to leave him alone after he acted that way. In fact, he went out of his way to prove to her that he wanted to be her friend. Like i said earlier, i think he liked the fact she didn't care what others thought of her and it was refreshing for him to hang out with someone like that and who didn't mind him being who he was in return, so he gravitated towards.
The last scene of the movie hits differently when you are in those shoes of loving wholeheartedly then loosing the love of your life especially so while you are both so young with decades ahead of you without your love to physically be there to walk through life with you.
That’s one of my guilty pleasure tropes 😂 I like how they think putting somebody front and center is a form of punishment (and for some it would be!) Another film that did that was the Resurrection of Gavin Stone - that one treats it more like a career “downgrade”
Honestly in the book it made waaaay more sense when he had to do the play. Everyone else was horrible for the role and she practically begged him and he felt bad about it bc she kept saying she needed it to be extra special bc she was gonna be in it (and her dad had written the play)
The book was so different to the movie adaptation. I read the book after seeing the film and I was so surprised by the difference. I know it’s not a realistic relationship and film but I still enjoy and cry when i see this film
I really like Cinema Therapy, but this review was one of my least favourites. I understand you don’t like the movie, but your judgement got in the way of a good therapeutic review of things. The main focus is not girl changing a bad guy as you may see it, but how some people can inspire us to see life in a positive way. Next time if you really don’t like the movie and you will judge more than analyze it, don’t do it.
On his noticing surface stuff about her, I think in the book it clarifies that they had gone to school with each other since they were small kids, but weren’t really friends. So he’s aware of stuff like her fashion choices (because he’s known her for 12 years) but doesn’t really know her. Edit: rewatching that clip, the movie also specifies that too.
OH MY WORD IS THIS REAL? I remember asking for a reaction to this movie once, and am so happy to see it! I love this movie (especially more than the Notebook) because while it is, a girl's love changes a bad boy, the relationship I feel is healthier, so glad that you guys agree with that! Jamie has boundaries and for the most part, Landon respects them. And when they do start their relationship, he shows a lot of care and shows that he does really pay attention to her and the things she said. I agree with Alan somewhat, Landon doesn't hate everything, he's just mad at everything for the most part. I do kind of wish that you guys covered Landon as a character, especially with his relationship, or lack thereof, with his Dad, but I LOVED hearing your guys' thoughts on his relationship with Jamie!!! Thank you so much for doing this movie!!!
Okay but speaking of Mandy Moore, I would love it if you guys did an episode(or a few episodes😂) on "This Is Us". I know it's a TV show, but it's also a therapy gold mind for Jono to dig into. Just a thought 🙂
Someday I'd love for them to go through the Richard Linklater "Before" trilogy to examine the highs and lows of a maturing relationship... but I'm willing to wait until after Alan's been subjected to all Nicholas Sparks movie adaptations 😂😂
OMG yes! I second the Before trilogy. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy really put their all in those movies and I bet there’s some awesome psychology material since they follow different decades.
Head to squarespace.com/cinematherapy to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code cinematherapy.
Talk about a bug's life . Being the screw up everyone bias against you even when you have good ideas
This movie was a better depiction of Christianity than anything Pureflix or Angel studios has ever made and that’s just sad.
Love that your kids are homeschooling your kids and calling out the Hollywood stereotype lol
YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME IN THIS VIDEO. SO FUNNY!
Can you do request for a movie reaction and psychology analysis of Princess Protection Program the Disney Channel movie?
“YOU CAN’T CHANGE HIM. WALK AWAY.” A Walkaway to Remember.
😂
you win the internet today. this is the best thing i have read today
😂
...and this is a much better story!
@@CinemaTherapyShow prefect
I also appreciated that Mandy Moore's character's faith wasn't treated as zealotry or with ridicule, as occurs in a great many films. She is unapologetically true to her faith, and her faith and how she expresses it is treated respectfully. It's a rare portrayal, which was nice to see.
I completely agree
It's probably a rare portrayal because of how rare it is in real life. As the saying goes: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."
I agree! Christianity (and other similar religions) get such a bad rep sometimes so this was nice to see as a Christian
Faith is beautiful. There’s good and bad sides but I wish it being a healthy happy thing was represented more often
The reason why I love this story is she sets boundaries and enforces them. She wouldn't allow him back into her circle until he truly apologized and showed that he was truly sorry. He didn't get away with just doing a grand gesture, it was a lot of work and constantly saying you're right I'm sorry and then proving through his actions that he was sorry. I liked the character development for him mainly because of her backbone and expectations of him following her boundaries and if not then she shut the door in his face.
@@anniewallace3601 I agree, contrary to what some might believe, Jamie wasn't attracted to Landon's bad attitude, nor was she using him as a way to rebel against her father. Rather, she fell in love with him when he showed that he was a kind person, deep down.
I agree, I think the guys looked down on this movie and looked past that. I don't think her love changed him, I think her self respect and boundaries helped him realise some things about himself and about the world and pushed him to mature. Because like, in the beginning it's not like he's bad, not really, the way he's acting stems more from immaturity, he cared what his "friends" were thinking about him like he was in f-ing 4th grade, he also acted towards girls like he's in 4th grade, throwing tantrums and stuff. He just needed someone to take his toys away and ban him from watching cartoons, so to speak, until he shows good behaviour :)) And yah, I think she didn' t like him because he was an ass, she just saw the potential, and saw that the behaviour stems from insecurity not from actual bad intentions. It was more like having an injured dog in a cage, who's shows aggression because he's scared, but then you bandage his wounds and he can see you're not there to hurt him, but to help. When I was in highschool I thought this is an ok movie, but all the boys i knew absolutely loved this movie. And knowing them, they were hearing a lot of "you're not good enough, you won't amount to anything" both at school and at home, so it makes sense for them to have this fantasy.
Perfectly said. Jamie was a good character. She didn't allow bad behavior. She was not a hook-up girl and she wasn't a "Christian-goody-goody" that allowed people to walk all over her. She was unapologetically herself, she had respect for herself
@@bethanywallace8575 I agree! I love Jamie. You don't see the full scope of her character the way you do in the book, but it would have been so easy to make her seem meek and subservient, or judgmental and righteous, and she's neither of these. She is very intentional about her boundaries, partly because she knows that her time is running out, and she wants to break as few hearts as possible.
Very well said.
I'm not religious at all, but the "I don't need a reason to be mad at god" line made perfect sense to me: she had found peace with her illness, accepted her imminent death, in part because there wasn't anything in particular keeping her here. But now "he happened", and she has something she *wants* to stay for, but she knows she can't because god has already given her a death sentence. Why would god tease her with something she wants to stay for, when she can't stay? I'd be mad at god, too...
Maybe God wanted her to experience that kind of pure love and save Landon from the destructive path he was on. Anyway that’s my thought.
God pulls this shit all the time.
@@bunniewoodGod gives then takes or maybe it’s really the other way around? maybe both?seems like we’re not really meant to really understand God or something considering we’re flawed and will all die unlike God so idk
@@irmacuster8081 Maybe. Still a dick move on god's part. I mean, we generally consider it unethical to use someone else for your own purposes without their informed consent. Just because you're god doesn't magically make it ethical...
@@TheBookDoctorwhat you’re saying makes total sense. It is pretty messed up for any god to just decide what happens to you and you’re powerless to it. I believe that I have a higher self who is working with God on what I want to experience, what I personally felt I needed in order to learn and grow and progress. God doesn’t make my choices for me, he makes them with me, and I make them with Him.
Just thought I’d share a different perspective in case that was helpful or interesting.
*Woman "saves" man with her love and then she dies so that he can go on and be a better person* is a whole genre in itself
Technically, that's what happens in Twilight too
It’s the sickly sister of the “manic pixie dream girl” and the “woman in the refrigerator tropes.
Literally since the Greeks and Asclepius 😂
@@alexarobinson2850 Speaking of which, my favorite stories of this genre are the norse saga God of War games 😂
@@Jonathan_Collins Agreed, it reminds me of the "Woman in Refrigerator" trope, in which the protagonist's wife or girlfriend is killed to kick-start his tragic backstory or path of vengeance, and she's very rarely referenced afterwards.
I don't really think we can classify this as a "my love can fix him" trope. She's not actively persuing him or expressing her undying love before he actually falls in love with her. In fact its the opposite. The minute she sees that he is still a douche, she lets him go. She does treat him with respect but isn't actively trying to change him in any way. That's all him. To me this feels more like a "rivals to lovers" and a "bad boy turned good" (Like the Grinch).
This really is my favourite feel good movie. Whenever I feel upset, this movie always gives me a good cry.
Yeah they really hit the nail on the head with the I-pick-on-you-because-I-love-you trope, which is not based on reality at all. The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of the least realistic ones out there.
@@lindenpeters2601 Also the "Befriending an Enemy" and "Duet Bonding" trope is used here. I wouldn't say that "enemies to lovers" is the least realistic trope, the "my love can fix him" trope is more problematic and less realistic that the other one imho. Hate and love are very close to eachother if we view the emotional side of it. You hate because you know how to love. The relationship he has with his dad is a good example of this. He hates his father because he once loved him but he feels betrayed that he left his mother and therefore his love turned into hatred. The opposite of love isn't hate, its indifference.
To be honest, the "enemies to lovers" is my favourite trope of all. It goes hand in hand with the slow burn. Those two combined is just *chef's kiss*.
Obsessed with the fact that you categorized the Grinch as a "bad boy"
@lindenpeters2601 oh it does happen, it's just rarely a happy relationship
Agreed. She’s not trying to fix him in any way. Her being her self coincidentally impacts him enough to be a better person from just talking and being around her.
Jamie's philosophy in this movie was basically do no harm but take no shit with the added values of Christianity and I lived for it. It was savage AND considerate! What a boss!
She is the saving grace of this movie.
Exactly! I share her philosophy.❤
I need “do no harm but take no sh” on a t-shirt
That was exactly the way Jesus lived, he wasn't a pushover like many think. He fought when he needed and loved people when they needed it, he loved sinners but didn't sin with them. He'd also fashioned a whip and chased money worshippers out of town, as that's the root of all evil.
@@DraQinnspecifically out of the temple where they are corrupting the whole point of worship for their own great gain
"I do not need a reason to be angry with God" is an incredible line, and I can't really understand not getting behind that. I think rather than leaping to a wth response, a little time spent thinking about why that line was said would lead to an appreciation for how she expressed how she feels about him without saying it explicitly. The actual meaning behind the line is "you came along, and I suddenly want *more* than just fine - more than God wanted to give me."
In the book, Jamie was too sick to stand up properly without a wheelchair, so the title refers to her walk down the aisle to meet Landon at their wedding, which he interalises in his narration as "A Walk to Remember." I wish that they'd referenced it in the film.
Damn, that makes the title do much more meaningful
What a waste! That would've had so much more impact than the cross fading and pan out to the trees.
@@trinaq I swear most of Nic Sparks movies disregard or minimize the reason for the title.
or if they not gonna to put that, change the title... I love the movie but I have no idea about this information and never understand the english title... I'm in Brazil and here the movie is call "A Love to Remember" not a Walk....
STOP that makes the title even more heartbreaking WHY wasn’t this referenced 😭😭😭
I had a real life experience vaguely similar to this movie: the man I loved died in a car accident when I was 22, but in the brief time we had together he changed my life in many positive ways. He helped me learn to see past the end of my nose, to consider things and people and concepts outside of myself.
Teenagers are fairly impressionable and so I find Landon’s about-face a little more feasible. As Jono notes, you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Landon went from surrounding himself with his popular but callous clique to spending most of his time with someone who possessed far more maturity and empathy as a natural result of her own experiences and circumstances (plus his lovely mother played by Darryl Hannah). She helped him see past the end of his nose for the first time. I see that as him being inspired by a positive role model who gently nudged his thinking in healthier and more compassionate directions. Yes, it’s an optimistic and unlikely outcome, but it’s not impossible.
The romantic relationship came only after he changed AND showed her that the change was sincere. I agree with Alan’s criticism but I thought I’d add my two cents about Jono’s.
👏 👏 yes!
I agree wholeheartedly with you. I was actually surprised he missed that part of how quickly it can happen at that age occasionally. I truly believe sometime around teenage years is actually the first crossroad of every person's life where they basically choose who they want to be for the rest of their lives.
I'm not saying you can't change after that point, but not many people do. Usually the teenage years are the biggest catalyst for these life decisions. Of course, the brain isn't fully developed yet, so there will be much chaos and stumbling along the way.
'' Is that a Bible, Potter??'' said in a spiteful Draco Malfoy voice. That was unexpected, i love it 😂😂
It matches the vibe 😂
@@CinemaTherapyShow Absolutely. And the scowl.
@Klaudia_1106 Jono played Malfoy in a skit in college. STRONGLY recommend watching it. I cried laughing at one point.
@@SaucyJTD oh shit, tell me more, haha i might search for it ;)
@Klaudia_1106 I gotchu! He's also Olivander lol. th-cam.com/video/8tRJExMDN3I/w-d-xo.htmlsi=JOisALCklSVQGZb1
I think you missed a lot of context for Landon's character. First of all, teenager. Second, look at his friend group. Third, preacher's daughter, holding her Bible in her lap, is trying to make small talk with him, and one of the things she mentions is going to visit the boy he was responsible for putting in the hospital. His response is a defense mechanism. The relationship he has with his mom is a small part in the movie, but I think you can tell she knows he can be soft and considerate. Realizing that basketball was a way to make the geometry connect wasn't simply because of Jamie, and he didn't care if Jamie noticed or not at that point.
The cross fades got me giggling non stop for the entire rest of the videos 😭 bless the editor who did that
I also giggled way too much, too.
Honestly same. 😂
The Jono lip bite during the cross fades too 😂😂😂
I had to laugh so much when watching this. 😂
Came to the comments just to say the same 😂
You keep saying how unrealistic it is that he would change for her but I think he changes because he wants to. She doesn't pursue him, she actually lets him go when she sees that he actually is a jerk. And then he sees and admires her values and learns how to be better. Also, he's a teenager, of course he can still change. Tell me you haven't met teens who were absolute jerks and then went on to become great people. Don't know if it's just me but you really missed the point with this movie. 😅
i agree with this!
I would just add that in my life I've experienced people drastically changing in a blink of an eye. Whole personalities. I even doubted my sanity. :D
They did miss the point of this movie. Just as they missed the point of The Labrynth.
I don't think the point of this is even a love story. It's about peer pressure and growing out of toxic friend groups. And Jamie doesn't magically fix him with her love. She inspires him to be who he always has inside. He is the only one who jumped in to try saved the kid they pranked. He genuinly shows interest after a while in tutoring. He is scared and he sees she isn't. She inspires him to want to change himself because he was always going to grow out of his friend group. They are bullies and he isn't. This isn't really about them him and Jamie. That's why she doesn't make it all the way to the end. It's like Titanic. Jack doesn't have to be real. Likewise Jamie doesn't have to survive. Landon needs to growp up. His scowling is an internal struggle because he is at odds with his choices. He just needed a positive role model and she became that for him. He falls in love with her as a byproduct of wanting to be like her. In a weird way, it's him falling in love with himself and learning to love and respect himself. Her sincerity and authenticity inspire courage in him. He thinks "if she is brave enough to be herself, I can too." It is beautiful, albiet cheesy. Yes, it's tropes are exhausted. But that doesn't mean it's just a silly teen romance. Sometimes silly movies can still have a lot of heart. And sometimes people do change. I was a drug addict since I was 14. And then my partner inspired me to get help. I did it out of my own. Sometimes miracles do happen. And it is for us, like it is with Jamie, to let people prove themselves and show that those miracles do happen. She never had to chase him. He clearly always admired her. It was only a matter of time. A Walk to Remember is about the courage to be who you really are, the miracle of standing up for what you believe and to have faith in those who don't have faith in themselves...❤
Well said and thank you for sharing your story.
I made this exact same point. He wasn't a "bad boy" who was fixed by a girl's love. He was a good kid stuck in a bad group of friends and became more true to himself after shedding THAT toxic relationship for a different one.
It's been a while since I last saw this movie, so your comment made me remember why I didn't feel like Jono and Alan's comments were not on point. Like, I do agree that this movie unfortunately gets in the no good very bad grand scheme of "my magic love will fix bad boy" (cuz the general structure is very similar), but the details are a bit different, and that's relevant.
Sometimes it feels like Jono and Alan miss some parts of the story in Therapist Reacts. Which, y'know, fine for a watch party. But for a show such as theirs... I think is not a great thing.
lol, I just wrote a comment basically saying the same thing before I saw this! It’s nice to see that people who watched the film really see the core and that this is not the typical girl saves guy tropes. And care about the true beauty and the very healthy aspects of this film being called out.
She had accepted that she was dying. She had accepted that she will never be a bride. Never be a mother. Never have this entire life that many of us take for granted. She had accepted that her life and death was in God's Hands. Then she fell in love. She is now grieving all of the things she will never have. She's angry at God. How hard is that to understand?
As far as "I do not need a reason to be angry with God", she's saying that she's fallen for him and wasn't expecting it to happen when she was sick with cancer. And she doesn't want to get to the point where she's mad at God for bringing Landon into her life when she's so close to dying. Like a "why would You bring this amazing person into my life and then have me die before we can spend life together?" kind of thing. Or even in Landon's case "why would you bring this amazing woman into my life who loves you and is everything i could hope for and then take her away?" I honestly had a similar reaction to you my first time watching this movie, but after taking time to process, I think that's what she's attempting to say.
Yes Exactly!❤
Exactly! She had already accepted her fate, she didn't want to feel angry at God for putting him in her life and not being able to live a long and happy life by his side. So I really understand that line
I think it has a scene where he tell her that he's mad with God or don't believe God because of bad things that happen, something like that... so when she says that is like I have a good reason, but I choose not to be... I not sure, maybe i need watched again :D
Yes, This! They didn’t really get it
These need to be further at the top. I was looking for someone to articulate this sentiment
Interesting analysis. I never saw this movie as a "my love can fix him" trope film, but I can kinda see how it could be portrayed that way. I find it difficult to see her as the savior when he was the one who ended up pursuing her for help and then later on deciding to change things for himself on his own. I also very much admired that she set firm boundaries with him and wasn't afraid to cut him off when the respect she showed to him wasn't reciprocated.
I will say though I very much agree that "bad boy" tropes are usually annoying and I hate them.
They didn’t do the walk full justice in the movie. In the book she’s in a wheel chair by the time they get married, but she gets up to walk down the isle to Landon (I don’t remember for sure; but I think she has to be in the wheel chair for the actual wedding). The fact that she walked at all at the wedding was the important part.
Yes Exactly! That was The Walk to Remember! The whole focal point of the story! It always annoyed me that the movie changed and left out so many things.
@@Moonlight.Howlings.666 Preach, those who haven't read the book might think that the title is a reference to Landon and Jamie walking past Landon's old buddies after Landon defends Jamie from their bullying prank, or another walk altogether.
@@trinaq I always assumed the 'walk' was referring to their entire journey together
I'm pretty disappointed that Jono who is always about establishing boundaries, doesn't point out how awesome Jaime is at establishing and enforcing boundaries and instead refers to it her setting boundaries as "sassy".
Thank you!! Women set boundary’s differently than men do. When women set boundary’s it’s sass 🙄
Saying it was sass was definitely a compliment.
I’m a little shocked at their whole assessment of this movie, honestly. It’s a favorite of mine and I see the toxic in there, but it’s portrayed as toxic. Idk. I’m missing the things the guys are criticizing.
Because she was sassy. And she also established her boundaries. Both can be true, good grief.
@@00juls00, it's not portrayed as toxic. Its another basic "I can fix him" trope. The movie would not have changed all that significantly if hey had just made the guy nice to begin with, because now she just looks like a fool falling for some awful, dusty guy for no reason.
I don't care if this movie is sappy and unrealistic, I love it so much!
Same!!
Same :)
Ditto, it may be unapologetically corny, but I still adore it, and find it to be even sadder than "The Notebook."
Absolutely! I adore this movie and I cry every time
i love this movie so much❤❤❤❤
What confuses me is not on the movie but the fact that YOU GUYS DIDN'T GET IT when she said "I don't need a reason to be angry with god" RIGHT AFTER she said "and then you happened".
Like her bringing up god is not out of the context at all. She accepted that she will be joining God soon. She didn't attached herself to other people (she didn't really make close friends) and my theory is that she's purposely making herself look unattractive so that she wouldn't hurt other people once she passed away. Well, until Landon came in to the picture.
This is WHY she's angry with God. She doesn't want a reason to want to stay and yet, God gave her Landon. Take note that I'm nowhere near religious.
Idk what to feel, I'm surprised and also a little bit disappointed but I digress. We have different views anyways and I'll still watch your videos LMAO
“I don’t need a reason to be mad at God” does make sense to me. It is, if I remember correctly, her trying to tell Landon she is trying not to fall in love with him/vice versa, because she was happy before dying leaving nobody behind. But now, if they fall in love, she has the temptation to blame God for stealing a beautiful future with this person. Her worldview is very much “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away” which is very easy to adhere to when you have nothing to be taken. But if you have love to be taken, you can quickly become possessive of it, warping your own worldview and cracking your resolve to follow Christ no matter the cost. I follow the writing.
This!! It absolutely makes sense and is fully in character. It’s a really good line.
exactly! Beautifully articulated! Thank you for this 💖
The entire time Jonathan decker basically made fun of the whole Christian quality of the movie, which is surprising over the fact that he himself is personally a Christian or so he's claiming to be.
That's exactly what I understood when I saw the movie
My read on it is that he didn’t change because of her but because he sent another teenager to the hospital and that put things into perspective. And also, he chaned because his high school counselor forced him to change environments and do new things: Being in the school play (which meant he had so start working seriously in order to avoid public humiliation) and tutoring younger troubled kids (which would make him less self-centred).
Now, I think Jamie had a good influence on him too BECAUSE she didn’t give in to him until he showed some respect. But that was secondary to the other things having an impact on him.
100% agree. I was surprised at the take he changed because of her and that it was inauthentic. I always saw it as due to the prank gone wrong coupled with the change of environments (away from his usual group) to spend his time being productive. Landon also wasn’t meant to be a bad egg but someone who wasn’t handling his parents divorce and feeling unworthy and unloved. Jamie just showed what it is like to have boundaries and his acting out was not acceptable.
i totally agree. i thought that was so obvious. but they didn't focus on the opening scene.
Although I agree that the "Bad Boy changing with the help of a Good Girl's love" Trope is problematic, it's worth noting that Jamie didn't properly fall for Landon until he showed his nicer side. Similar to Kat and Patrick from "10 Things I Hate About You", she knew that he was kind deep down, which was her miracle, as her father put it.
Yes!!!!
Still not realistic, or something to be encouraged. I’ve know plenty of women ( and some guys ) who got to know a jerk’s “nicer side” or they were only nice to them. Who later left the relationship because they were being abused one way or another. Like them being nice was just a lure to trap them ( through something like marriage ).
That’s why it’s important that when you date a person always pay attention to how they treat others not just you. The difference can save your life.
This trope may be cute or work on paper. But it’s a red flag, or just straight up toxic trait to watch out for in real life.
The book is better because Landon is just an average boy that falls for a girl then finds out she’s sick.
@@outathisworld2130I agree mostly. The thing unlike many times is most girls that feel that the bad boy will change with her love, they truly don't see or can find a reason for the guy's badness. They are often attracted to the badness itself. Jaime does know this is a kid affected by a father's betrayal, divorce and truly being pressured by popular people. He is not a bad boy around his mom and does see other times he doesn't really fit the mold. She is also knowing she will die and is not like many, including a younger me, forecasting the "happily ever after" that probably won't happen.
@@candilynnn I don’t think knowing where the badness comes from will change the fact that _their still acting bad_ Trauma and hardships can only serve as an excuse for so long, at some point you need to take responsibility for your behaviors and life choices
It’s like Jono said in the video “if their not changing for themselves, what makes you think they’ll change for you?”
I always thought her faith ended up inspiring him after he was made to interact with her more, and love blooms through the process. Her love didn't save him. It was the testimony that grew from experiencing hers.
I completely agree
I forgot Landon was furious at his dad for being a cardiologist and not having a secret cure for cancer. 😂
@@LivingFire_BurningFlame Right!? I was howling with laughter at that point 🤣.
@@LivingFire_BurningFlame Yes, me too, it's unintentional hilarity at its finest, though at least they reconcile towards the end, when Landon's dad pays for Jamie to have medical treatment at home.
Is that what that was about? I figured his dad was a well-to-do man who divorced his first wife and got remarried, leaving his son with his first wife. The son ended up feeling jaded, cut him off, and became a bad boy because of it. Now, he goes back to his dad for the first time in a long time with the emphasis being that he never asked him for anything else and is asking for this one thing.
@@trinaq For her medical treatment at home not her hospital stay.
Wait what? I haven’t seen this movie in years but is that not a horrible, bad faith interpretation of the scene? He was a “bad boy” because he had unresolved trauma about his parents’ divorce. He wanted nothing to do with his dad because he was so bitter and angry inside. He felt abandoned by his dad and his new life with a new woman. Then when he learns Jamie is sick, he goes to the only person he can think of who could help (a doctor) even though he really wasn’t ready to open that door again. He got upset because the answer was “oh I don’t know if I’ll be able to help. I’d have to look at her chart - blah blah doctor speak.” And that set Landon off because even though what his dad said made sense, Landon saw it as another instance of “I’m not important enough for you to drop what you’re doing right now and come and help me just like always.” Which was made even worse when his wife stepped outside too. It was his own insecurities and past traumas with the addition of a broken heart from knowing he’s going to lose the girl he loves that resulted in that reaction. It wasn’t “omg a cardiologist can’t cure my girlfriend’s cancer durrr” - it was “here’s another instance of me needing someone and my dad still continues to not prioritize me or my needs.” And it was filtered through an immature 18 year old’s brain who is going through grief so it manifested in misplaced anger.
In defense of this story: I was a shy, christian, artsy, preachers kid in a small southern town when i first read the book and related to Jamie a heck of a lot. I didnt fall in love with the movie, i did the book. It was much more "slow burn" in the book and Landon wasnt nearly as big of a jerk. At 14 i didnt love this movie because I wanted to change a bad boy, i loved it because my self confidence was in the trash (i thought i had to be Brittany Spears to be attractive) and the idea of someone seeing me as interesting and beautiful was very the way Landon did jamie gave me hope.
He is so unhappy and sad. His anger at everyone is how he keeps the sadness inside. It's a facade.
He was drawn to her because she was open about who she is without apology, she was calm and happy (something he didn't have with his friends), and she never judged him or made him feel like he could make mistakes.
She encouraged him, she prayed for him, she believed in him when nobody else would. She didn't start falling until he began to change and she got to see who the good guy was.
He fell because her calm and peace was like a breath of fresh air. She fell because she liked who he was when he stopped pretending.
It's a good story.
Well said!
Agree with that. That’s how I always saw it
Exactly! That's the real message. The movie just kind of lost it in translation you know? The book is so much more clear!❤
Thank you!! 👏🏽
Great assessment! I 100% agree!
😂😂😂 This was one of my favorite movies as a teenage Christian girl. I recently watched it again for the first time as an adult and realized its obvious flaws. But it still charms me even now, though less naively. I agree with Jono that it's a more healthy relationship than the Notebook for sure.
But I don't think his change is as out of the blue as you are saying here. Maybe from what she sees you could say that, but the audience is given several little clues that he's actually kind before he even meets her. For one thing even though everyone else is on the ground and he has to climb down an entire tower, he's the one that rescues the boy who jumped. Nobody else would take the risk to help, but he did. (That's why he got caught.) There's also a girl who likes him, which I will give you isn't strong evidence, but her claim from the beginning is that even though the other boys in their group are jerks, Landon is different. He's kind and good. She's apparently seen evidence of such before. And lastly he is good to his mom. Even when they don't see eye to eye he is never cruel or nasty to her. These are little things, and Jamie doesn't see them, but the audience is shown them precisely so that his change doesn't feel random or implausible. He was actually good from the beginning, but afraid of what his friends thought, a not too uncommon adolescent problem.
Jamie doesn't try to change him with her "magic sex". There is No sex. She's not seducable after all. She is just herself and treats him as she would anyone. She's not afraid to be herself. This more than her love, inspires him to be himself instead of being afraid of what his friends think. She doesn't fall for him until after he shows demonstrable proof of his goodness. "Prove it" she says. And he does.
The execution is shaky, but the story itself is good. I'd totally watch a remake of it, lol.
Also for the way his friends act, I seriously went to high school with at least 3 boys who acted exactly like that. Especially the boy who's obsessed with the hot teacher's boobs. There is no end to the obsession of teenage boys for the hot teacher.
My FAVORITE romance movie. This one never pissed me off the way literally every other Nicholas Sparks movie does for a number of reasons, but the main one is pretty meta. The director of this movie is a gay Jewish man, and he brought his own understanding of his faith and love into the filmmaking. It would have been a very different film if done by someone who wanted to make a preachy movie (I'm Christian, I know -- we don’t need more evango-nationalism-lite romance lol). But I also appreciate that the man changes for the woman in this movie, and the change isn’t a change to his character but, rather, how he expresses himself. He was always a good person. You see that in the first scene where Landon is the only one who stays behind when his stupid prank goes wrong. He's just too caught up in his own pain and teenage angst to prioritize being a good person until Jamie puts life into perspective for him, in more ways than one.
That’s so true. It’s a small detail but that gives you a hint that it’s not a sudden heel turn but encouragement for genuine expression. It’s the only one of two NS films I can tolerate, the other one being Nights in Rodanthe. My favorite part of the latter is when you see the art studio devoted to Yemaya (the ocean orisha).
@JuriAmari Forgot about that one! Okay, I take it back, there are TWO good Nicholas Sparks movies lol.
I challenge these two reactors to show me one teenager who has never done something stupid. I love this movie too.
She didn't put up with his crap.
I am ready to cry. Bring it.
And I love how this movie is the perfect example of “accepting influence”.
And I feel him trying to be better did not come out of nowhere. You see those little moments where he has a moral code, but he “accepted the influence” of the wrong people.
And it is not just Jaimie he is trying to be better with. He is nice to the kid he is tutoring. He listens to Jaimie’s dad and his mom. It is these little things that build up.
And I felt it took a lot of courage to ask his dad for help and I am glad you see his dad is trying in his way. His dad is trying to wait until Landon is ready to make the first move, to speak.
So I don’t think this is just “accepting influence” from her, but to the good people around him. She just started the process.
I had closed captioning turned on and the "shrieks of despair" at 0:56 just about killed me, then "Christian Pixie Dead Girl" hit. You guys crack me tf up, I swear.
I was a Catholic High School girl when this came out and it was the best. Did it give unrealistic expectations in relationships? Sure but so do many romcoms.
Also the “Dont need a reason to be angry with God” makes perfect sense. If youre religious, you believe that if you put in the good work, be a good person, God will bless you but also if things go badly lets say if you have a terminal illness, eventually you should accept it and think of it as God’s will. That He has a plan. That you should be grateful for the life youre given. But now Landon comes along and she wants something for herself. She begins to question why this happens to her and all that. Its a common belief in Christianity or Catholicism to question God’s plan. Jesus said himself “God why have you forsaken me” so the thought isnt out if nowhere.
He hates everything because he hates himself. If he pushes everyone away, there is no one left to disappoint. I think the goodness was in him...VERY deep down. She just showed him how to not be afraid to be a good person and to let people in.
I'm not into bad boys, I just LIVE for redemption arcs. I want to see them learn to be better.
It's so odd because this is Beauty and the Beast and your comment was Jono's note for thr Disney film but somehow not in this film. smh
On the point of being truthful from the beginning about the disease….I doubt either of them thought the friendship would evolve into something more, maybe just surface level. But she did tell when the feelings were getting stronger. He still had a choice to leave but he didn’t and that’s amazing. I understand her view that people will only look at her as some sick girl and be weird around her. I had leukemia (now in remission) and when I met new people, I didn’t tell them I had leukemia, it’s not their business to know everything about me unless there’s something more to the relationship (like true friendship, dating, love, etc). I met many amazing people who are my friends. They got to know the real me, not just some sick girl, so every conversation was not about how I’m doing or how the treatment is going. When I told them, they didn’t pity me, they just supported me by being the same old them (we disagreed, arguments, made fun of our rivals, we had tons of fun, late night conversations, teasing, etc). That’s how I met my husband too. I told him when I started to feel something more than friendship. I told him how I felt and about the leukemia. I told him it’s his choice if he wants to leave. He stayed. The best support system I ever had.
My point is sickness doesn’t define your entire personality. If you are upfront about being sick, people will consciously treat you different, they wouldn’t be themselves. Once they get to know you a little they’d know your personality enough to be normal around you.
At around 19:00 - okay so it makes sense to me because Jamie is firmly religious and dependent upon her faith in God. She says "I don't need a reason to be mad at God" because she sees that if Landon is so good to her and loving, that she doesn't want to die. She has already made peace with her terminal illness, and she sees Landon as a wrench thrown into her plans to pass on peacefully. The love and tenderness that Landon provides is worldly and keeps her committed to the institution of Planet Earth. According to the Buddha, desires and worldly attachments are distractions from enlightenment. Because Jamie wants to pass on, any worldly attachment makes her angry at her God...make sense?? I really love that line.
This! This exactly! 💯❤
@@shelleyroper588 THANK YOU.
Yes. I don't understand why Jono and Alan didn't catch that.
8:42 more like an overprotective father/parent. It's not hard to believe that he probably stood up from his chair when his daughter went to answer the door and then closed the door behind her. I don't think he was trying to intimidate Landon, but he was kind of like "what the heck?" and making Landon aware of his behavior (you know, the yelling/shouting).
I don’t think Landon just suddenly turned into a good person. He was a good person (yet troubled) deep down and Jamie saw that in him which is why she was drawn to him. Also she doesn’t fall for him until he shows that side of himself so I like the way this movie handles their relationship
Yes, I agree! I always saw it as he was always good, but surrounded by a bad influence/crowd.
I agree. I feel like Jono has a bias towards bad boy characters lol
@@signalfire15
towards or against?
@@noorbohamad5796 against
I feel like taking their relationship out of context here limits the perception of Landon's character and his motivations.
At the start of the movie, Landon’s actions reflect his complex sense of morality. He stays behind to help the guy who gets injured due to their group’s reckless behavior, but this decision leads to his own punishment-he’s the only one caught. From his perspective, this reinforces his belief that doing the right thing is futile and that good deeds are often punished.
He and his mother were abandoned by his father, a respected doctor, which deeply affects him, making him feel worthless and powerless. As a result, he’s become cynical, believing that people are hypocritical and will screw you over or abandon you if you truly open your heart to them. His relationship with his friends is shallow and unrewarding.
Then Jamie enters his life and suggests that the good in him does matter, and tries to make him see the value in connecting to others. This idea makes him uncomfortable because someone he never noticed before has noticed him. She genuinely makes him feel seen and appreciated-perhaps symbolized by his performance in the play. However, he thinks that if she truly believes what she's saying, she must be naive and spineless. After acting like a dick to her in front of his friends, he is genuinely surprised when she stands up for herself and turns her back on him. It doesn’t sit well with him because, for once, he had convinced himself that she was actually a good person-and that means his cruelty is the reason she’s abandoning him. There's a reason why this happened, and he can fix it. It gives him a sense of control.
So, he becomes obsessed with her. Her approval and her love for him are his moral desert. That’s why his mother is concerned about his ambitions. His comment-"she believes in me, and I feel like I can do it"-sounds naive now. Jamie becomes his entire life and his sole motivation.
But when he discovers she is dying, he is forced to reevaluate his morality and sense of self. He can go back to his version of "being angry with God" or find a reason to live and try to be the best version of himself within himself. At this point, his love for her becomes the source of his motivation. He starts reconnecting with people in his life whom he had previously discarded, finding meaning in these relationships, and shifting his focus entirely from making himself feel better to helping others.
Alan's scream in the intro. He really needs therapy in this episode
Really!
😂😂😂 don’t we all
@@CinemaTherapyShowI know I do after backing it up and watching y’all holler at the cross fades like four times 😂
@@CinemaTherapyShowAlan has been a part of so many movie critiques I've watched, that I've started to hear his voice transposed over whatever movie-related critiques I read online.
"When the ego breaks from the outside the world ends, when it breaks from the inside the world begins", this is an example of the ego breaking from within.
The editing in this video deserves an Oscar 🥹👏👏💕
I get the impression that after the divorce of his parents(however that went down), and likely feeling abandoned by his father who clearly wasn't involved enough in Landon's life to be any kind of positive role model, I don't think the version of Landon that you see from the start is his true self but a mask of sorts that he puts on to hide behind and protect himself while being wrapped up in himself. Despite the trouble he'd caused his mom, he's never actually disrespectful to her. Gets moody when the topic of his father is brought up, but never becomes outright disrespectful of his mom.
There's that one scene with his dad after seeing the play where Landon walks away from his dad without really hearing him out let alone offering a chance:
Dad: "Landon? Fine performance, son."
Landon: "What are you doin' here?"
Dad: "Your mother told me about it. I thought we might get a bite after the show."
Landon: "I'm not hungry."
Dad: "Landon, don't walk away."
Landon: "You taught me how."
Then later talking to his mom:
Mom: "Well, I talked to your dad today. He says he saw you at the play. For about ten seconds."
Landon: "Yeah. Sending a check once a month doesn't exactly make him your father."
Mom: "Landon, there are a lot of reasons..."
Landon: "He left us, mom."
Mom: "You need to forgive him, too."
Whatever happened seems to have left Landon pretty jaded by the start of the movie.
So in a way it could be less that Landon is changing for Jaime, and maybe more getting back in touch with himself or rediscovering himself after so long of pretending to be something he's not to cover his pain.
Just another possible way to explain why he seemed like a total jerk in the beginning, to shield himself.
I think the allure of stories like this is that the guy starts out as "unlovable" and mean. And sometimes we feel like we are that unlovable person. But knowing that there is someone out there who could give us the chance to be better and help us grow to be that better person we wish we could be, feels good.
I see that way too in Landon's case because he has a serious dad issues, family problems, he's pushing everything for attention... I wish they talk more about Landon's parents, because explain a lot for me
Being given the chance still means the burden of doing the work is on you, though. Other people aren't there to "save you."
@@elisebrown5157 Correct. My comment never said anything about relying on others for "saving."
27:48 The cross-fades joke LOL
Hilarious 😂😂😂
I read a lot of Nicholas Sparks books, but I felt that A Walk to Remember was highly memorable because he wrote Jamie based off of his real sister who was in a Christmas play and really died from cancer. I can’t remember more except her deterioration was tragic(“Three Weeks with My Brother” memoir by Nicholas and Micah Sparks), maybe that’s why they skipped over it in the film. But the character of Jamie always seemed to have more substance than any characters in his following books.
I just gotta say, I started watching your videos at least a year ago, and the content never disappoints. I always either come out feeling something or having a new appreciation for a movie. You guys remind me there's yet hope for humanity. Never stop being our Internet Dads :)
I just wanted to pop in and say, Jono’s “Corpse Bride” joke made me laugh out loud when he said it. I see you, Jono.
I never really seen it as her "fixing" him. It was more like he was playing the bad boy persona to fit in but seeing her being unapologetically herself without caring what others think kinda inspired him to show more of his real self and mature. So he was kinda a good person to begin with and she saw that, so she just pushed him to make the move.
As for the "I don't wanna be angry with god", it's very obvious. It reflects how she accepted her fate, but falling in love with Landon made her want to continue living so she felt like god was unfair to make her experience this love at this time while she's dying.
I like that in the end Jonathan mostly roasts Alan, while Alan also mostly roasts Alan...
There's something delightful in finding out what people REALLY dislike. It's always fascinating when soomeone I know well particularly loathes something, it's like this character illuminating moment when you figure out what specifically gets under someone's skin.
“IT’S BECAUSE SHES SICK, ALAN!🤬”
😂 I love chaotic episodes like this one, it’s funny
I literally found this movie because I was on a Switchfoot shtick when I was 16, and they have four songs in the soundtrack. It grew to become my favorite movie not titled "Star Wars." But the edit I first watched had a different line; instead of "Then Jamie went with her unfailing faith," the line I heard was "Then Jamie went to be with our God." That's actually the line I prefer because I think it completes Landon's character arc. To this day, I don't look for my Juliet, my Bonnie, what have you, I'm looking for my Jamie Sullivan. Thank y'all for finally getting to this movie.
One reason I think the "my love can fix him" trope is popular is because there are women out there who felt unloved (or worse) in their family of origin, and so they get into relationships with avoidant attachment types or outright abusers, playing out those familiar patterns, always hoping that person will come around and give them the love they always wanted from their first family. Storylines like this show it actually happening, and the idea that it could feels so alluring, even if the reality is that these types of people rarely change, and if they do, it's not because you fixed them, but because they did the work themselves.
Incredibly well said. This is me. In real life, it doesn’t work.
But she doesn't try to fix him and she doesn't feel unloved in her life. Her Dad is overprotective sure (understandably so for her unique circumstances) but he does show he loves her. She doesn't pine for anyone to complete her. She has a bucket list because she's young and she wants to leave the world without regrets. She challenged Landon and was pleasantly surprised when he responded positively with his own love for her.
I love the editor with the fade ins and outs🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Oh my god I never noticed how insane the cross fades were😂 the fact they started speeding up killed me
Some of the best relationship advice that my mom, who survived a DV relationship with my biological father, gave to me was:
If you feel like a relationship with you can "fix" a man, run. Do not get into a relationship where someone "needs to be fixed" and that you can be the one to do that.
I don’t think Jamie was not trying to change Landon. She wasn’t naive. Also, she distanced herself from him when he was a jerk to her. She also believed in him which is love.
Some wonderful laugh out loud moments in this one. I needed that. Thank you.
You are so welcome!
Attempt #(22) of asking for Spirit : Stallion of the Cimarron!! Was my absolute childhood movie growing up and the filmmaking is so beautiful with amazing scores and concepts of loss and staying true to once nature even in the face of adversity!
That movie was incredible and highly underrated!!
I second this suggestion!
Yaaas please
I’m signing this petition once again
Boost comment
This, my friends, is what we call a “guilty pleasure”
She doesn’t want to be “angry with god” because she sees that not only is he falling in love with her, she’s falling for him too. And she’s scared of how that will be for him and herself. Seeing what could be a beautiful future together if not for the leukemia. 😢 If you’ve been there, you know. 😔
LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!
It's so much better than the Notebook.
I was not ready for the lip bite at 28:08.
😂😂😂
David editing in crossfades after the crossfade discussion is too good! and the ending!!! loved this
I was looking for tjis comment, it was such a good subtle joke
Is it me or this was actually one of the very good cinema therapy sessions? I really enjoyed your chemistry in this episode guys; I felt closer to you. You were fun and made fun. Great
I think that as I matured and rewatched the film over the years, the relationship between Landon and his father captivated me more than the love story. I was like, “Now THAT’S love!” Reconciliation is beautiful.
As a girl who grew up watching these kind of movies and reading these kind of books, I can totally tell you that I somehow turned the whole "good girl saves bad boy" typo into a strong belief that cost me my mental health during teenagehood and early adulthood. After two major heartaches and toxic relationships that ended up in years of therapy, I had to come to terms with the idea that you also expressed so beautifully in this video "In real life, if they won't change for themselves, what makes you think they're going to change for you?". It feels so good to think of yourself as the "savior", when in reality you're just signing up for constant mental damage in these kind of relationships. Thank you for making videos like these!
Maybe you can consider also discussing about the movie "The Fault in Our Stars" or "Five Feet Apart". I would love to see your take on a plot that has both characters terminally ill and how you guys explore this sort of attachment that forms due to sickness.
If we don't hear from the adults how sophisticated and nuanced these tropes can be subverted and teach us how to be better people, we are doomed in interpreting reality from our skewed hormonal choas as teenagers. Jamie wasn't looking for romance, she just wanted to live as completely as possible without regrets before she died. She was scared and surprised by Landon's impulsive love. She challenged him and he responded positively, if not always appropriately. He had to learn how to tamper down his libido, because she was not going to give up her values for anyone. He had to decide if changing was worth it to him. It is he who says "She makes me better," but still was a long ways away from emotional maturity. But in our teenage brains we see all of that and wrongly assume that she was fixing him so that she can be loved by him. I hope you will stay healed and keep growing.
One of my all time favorite movies about transformative self-awareness. The book is a better story, but they usually are.
I am not a religious person. If you striped away the religious aspect, it's a story about meeting people where they are in life and giving them the grace, empathy and support they need to make their life better for their future (aka as human decency).
Landon was an absolute jerk but he was also doing it to fit in with the crowd. How many of those kids stuck around and supported him when he started trying new things for himself? Not many. And he then realized, he was indeed a jerk and so were his friends. In the end, they were both kids who were learning some thing about self-awareness of who they were and who they were influenced by for better or worse. One thing I think we need to be mindful of is that every person deserves a little care regardless of their past. Otherwise, we're telling those folks with spotty histories they're not worthy of our time. It's good to be cautious, and Jamie shows that in this movie absolutely. But, she also shows, it's okay to try to offer friendship, be challenged with new thinking or behaviours, set a boundary and communicate when it's been crossed. When these things happen, that other person might begin seeing themselves differently. :)
Only Eric stuck around to support him.
Actually what's interesting about Walk to remember is the Nicholas Sparks when he made the book he basically based it off of his sister and his brother in law inside like his sister would one day to come to her sickness 0:10
I’m watching this while caring for my mother who has cancer and while I know the ending of this film I love that we’re able to get a sweet love story with drama. I look at my parents and see how strong their love is and know that if they got together before my mom was diagnosed my dad definitely would have stayed with her and done what he is doing now, being her caretaker and best friend. We’re not religious in any way but we’re thankful for the blessings we’ve been given. Obviously this film isn’t entirely realistic but it’s still memorable because when you’re young you can go through different relationships as you yourself grow until you find yourself and the right person
I had a friend go through something similar. Christian girl, but artsy. Funny, kind, really into anime. Two different guys took an interest in her, but she had a conviction that she would only date a man who had Jesus as his Lord. Both men started coming out to church, began investigating the bible, and were ultimately baptized into the same church. Then they both wanted to date her, of course.
To the first man - teen, actually - her parents said "No, she's too young to date." He respected this, stepped back, continued to be her friend as well as an active member of the church. In fact, he was already friends with many of her friends due to shared faith and values before the conversation even happened. He even snuck to church with his dad to get baptized because his mother didn't want him to! He never asked my friend to compromise her convictions and was always respectful of her parents.
The second man wanted to date her as well, but I guess she thought he wasn't a good fit? He pretty much dropped off the face of the planet once her reluctance became clear and quickly went back to his old way of living, which was very un-Christlike.
It took a few years, but she did eventually date and marry the first man. They've been married for 10 years now. They will be the first to tell you that it wasn't their attraction that made their relationship work, but their mutual priority of Jesus over even each other.
I understand the "not need a reason to be angry with God" line and maybe one can't understand it unless they've had such an experience themselves. It's saying, "I have a reason to question my faith and be angry, but I choose not to be angry with Him and hold on to my faith." I've had my own reasons to be angry and have chosen to hold on to my faith and I don't want those around me trying to give me a reason to be angry that I've had two stillborns. It's held me together. Luckily, everyone around me supports me in that.
Jamie wants to live life and love, but she doesn't want to be angry she can't have a long life with the person she might choose to live as a spouse. But she should still tell those who grew close to her so they could make their own decision.
As a person of faith I agree. I have plenty of reasons to be angry with God already. I have many more reasons to love and trust Him, and those are what I choose to hold onto.
I just wanna say I’m so thankful for this channel. It’s crazy to say that I have cried and laughed throughout difficult situations in my life with complete strangers on the Internet, but you guys have been there for me when I didn’t have anyone else !! I’m so grateful that I stumbled across your channel that one day I was just struggling to understand Human behavior and I’m glad that I found something that put my two favorite things together!!it’s awesome!! you guys are an amazing example of true friendship, and just know that your hard work and your experiences and are not falling on deaf ears because I am thankful to say I have overcome trials and have grown so much because of this channel please don’t stop or I’ll be sad 😅😂
Amazing Editing choice, with the fast cross fades right after they completely bash the cross fades xD
I always took her being angry with god statement, as she accepted she was going to die, but now God brought this love into her life, and it's making her angry that she'll have to leave this behind and die young instead of living her whole life with him, like now she has more to lose.
Omgg this was my sisters and I's favorite movie when we were younger. The amount of times we watched this and yet we bawled everytime 😭😭😭
I dont think Landon, did a 180 turn, its shown throughout the movie he is a good kid at heart, ( like when he was the only one to jump in after the kid who jumped and got hurt while everyone else ran) he's just a hurt teenager, who doesnt have a good relationship with his father and hangs out with a bad group, and does the dumb teenage thing of trying to fit in by any means.
I think Jaimie just showed him how to not care what others think of him ( because she sure didn't), and he was drawn to that, ( it was shown he just went with the crowd even when he didn't want to) she started to inspire him to be like that and in the process he fell for her.
The movie subtly showed Landon was a decent guy underneath just angry, Jaimie just showed him how to be unapologetically himself because he saw her do it.
Ive always loved how Jaime ( despite obviously liking him) doesn't try to actively change him or follow him around trying to love him until he loved her. When he was a jerk, she dropped him, she didn't put up with that and wasn't going to take that treatment from him just because she had a little crush on him. She seemed fully resigned to leave him alone after he acted that way.
In fact, he went out of his way to prove to her that he wanted to be her friend. Like i said earlier, i think he liked the fact she didn't care what others thought of her and it was refreshing for him to hang out with someone like that and who didn't mind him being who he was in return, so he gravitated towards.
Well said!
Agreed!
The last scene of the movie hits differently when you are in those shoes of loving wholeheartedly then loosing the love of your life especially so while you are both so young with decades ahead of you without your love to physically be there to walk through life with you.
I've been watching you guys for a long time. Your videos are always good. This one was exceptional.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. 😊
My favorite trope is punish him by giving him the lead in the school play. 😂
That’s one of my guilty pleasure tropes 😂 I like how they think putting somebody front and center is a form of punishment (and for some it would be!)
Another film that did that was the Resurrection of Gavin Stone - that one treats it more like a career “downgrade”
Honestly in the book it made waaaay more sense when he had to do the play. Everyone else was horrible for the role and she practically begged him and he felt bad about it bc she kept saying she needed it to be extra special bc she was gonna be in it (and her dad had written the play)
Hahahaha!!! That outro was everything 😂😂😅 Too good!
As a long time watcher/first time commenter from Iceland I must say: Kudos on a great channel👏👌
Thanks for being a long time watcher! 😊
The fade out sequence at the end was 🤌🏼 chef’s kiss
And the lip bite😂
that was the greatest youtube introduction thats ever existed
The book was so different to the movie adaptation. I read the book after seeing the film and I was so surprised by the difference. I know it’s not a realistic relationship and film but I still enjoy and cry when i see this film
I really like Cinema Therapy, but this review was one of my least favourites. I understand you don’t like the movie, but your judgement got in the way of a good therapeutic review of things. The main focus is not girl changing a bad guy as you may see it, but how some people can inspire us to see life in a positive way. Next time if you really don’t like the movie and you will judge more than analyze it, don’t do it.
This used to be one of my favourite movies :)) So happy you reacted to it!
PLEASE the end had me on the floor crying of laughter. Shout out to the editors
On his noticing surface stuff about her, I think in the book it clarifies that they had gone to school with each other since they were small kids, but weren’t really friends. So he’s aware of stuff like her fashion choices (because he’s known her for 12 years) but doesn’t really know her.
Edit: rewatching that clip, the movie also specifies that too.
I love that a movie that's supposed to make you cry is one of the only ones that _doesn't_ make Alan cry
9:06 I think if you have daughters and they become teenagers and start dating, you will understand why the dad is right there so fast 😂😂😂
OH MY WORD IS THIS REAL? I remember asking for a reaction to this movie once, and am so happy to see it! I love this movie (especially more than the Notebook) because while it is, a girl's love changes a bad boy, the relationship I feel is healthier, so glad that you guys agree with that! Jamie has boundaries and for the most part, Landon respects them. And when they do start their relationship, he shows a lot of care and shows that he does really pay attention to her and the things she said. I agree with Alan somewhat, Landon doesn't hate everything, he's just mad at everything for the most part. I do kind of wish that you guys covered Landon as a character, especially with his relationship, or lack thereof, with his Dad, but I LOVED hearing your guys' thoughts on his relationship with Jamie!!! Thank you so much for doing this movie!!!
Okay but speaking of Mandy Moore, I would love it if you guys did an episode(or a few episodes😂) on "This Is Us". I know it's a TV show, but it's also a therapy gold mind for Jono to dig into. Just a thought 🙂
The ending was gold, you guys. Well done.
I've always wanted to see something like, "I don't want to save you, I want you to save yourself". Don't think I've seen that so far.
Watch Penelope with Christina Ricci. They don't say that line, but that's exactly what happens.
I think “sass” and “fire” are slightly sexist ways to say “self respect” and “dignity.”
Someday I'd love for them to go through the Richard Linklater "Before" trilogy to examine the highs and lows of a maturing relationship... but I'm willing to wait until after Alan's been subjected to all Nicholas Sparks movie adaptations 😂😂
OMG yes! I second the Before trilogy. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy really put their all in those movies and I bet there’s some awesome psychology material since they follow different decades.
I love the chemistry between you too! Listened to this on my way to work and totally made my morning laughing instead of swearing at traffic 😂