Fulfilling the List: A Walk to Remember (2002)

Romantic Moment #3

A Walk to Remember (2002)

***Spoiler Alert***

So I am not a big Nicholas Sparks fan;

I didn’t like Message in a Bottle, oh don’t get me started on that girl!

I was also not a fan of The Notebook (I totally would have picked James Marsden) and I’ve never been interested in his other works.

I don’t think this really added to the story.

For years people had been trying to get me to watch this movie, and every time I said no.

Even though I love the song Hawk Nelson wrote for the movie, I still wouldn’t watch it.

Tempting but no

Even though I absolutely love Shane West, nope, nope, no.

But that all changed when my friend kept begging me to watch it. I finally gave in and that was one of my best decisions EVER! I loved the movie.

I went on to read the book which I also loved. Those two are one of the sweetest things I have seen/read. It is full of so many romantic moments, it was hard choosing just one.

So the film is about two people, Jamie and Landon. Jamie is one of the popular boys in school, no sorry the popular boy as he is the best looking.

Shane West, oh man are you good-looking.

Sorry, back to the film.

So Landon has been acting up a lot recently, mostly because of his anger at his dad for leaving the family for another woman. He and his friends convince a guy who wants to be a part of their group to do a dive after drinking; causing him to be seriously hurt (while Landon slightly injured); afterwards he gets in trouble and has to do community service/help in the school.

Enter Jamie. Jamie is the minister’s daughter, good in school, loves astronomy, and of course is picked on for being the preacher’s daughter, smart, for the clothes she wears, etc.-you get the idea.

Landon ends up spending a lot of time with her as he finds himself  having to tutor alongside her; as well as star opposite her in a play.

Landon finds being in the play out of his comfort zone, and asks Jamie for help. She agrees but on one condition, he can’t fall in love with her.

Later when Jamie tries to talk to him in front of his friends, he pulls a Danny Zuko and acts like he doesn’t know her. Jamie of course is upset.

So later when he comes to her for help, wanting them to be “secret friends” to protect his reputation she shuts him down.

The time for the play comes and Landon, even though he doesn’t want to admit it, misses having Jamie around. When he sees her performing he is just blown away.

Afterwards, he tries to date her but she still isn’t sure about trusting him. When his friends play a cruel prank on her, he not only defends her against his friends but encourages and supports her.

How romantic

They start dating and fall in love. 🙂 But unfortunately, things do not always stay as happy as we hope. It turns out that Jamie didn’t want Landon to fall in love with her because she has cancer, and no earthly treatment can cure it.

Most Romantic Moment: I Want to Make Your Dreams Come True

So throughout the film, Jamie talks about how she has a list of things she wants to do before she dies. Some are basic and easy, while other much grander. The list is:

1. Get married in the church where her mother and father were married
2. See a miracle
3. Have a star named after her
4. To be in two places at the same time
5. Get a tattoo
6. Befriend someone she doesn’t like
7. Spend a year in the peace corps
8. Make a medical discovery

When Landon had to first do the community school service, she checked off number 6; but since then she hasn’t had the chance to do anything else (and as the later reveal of her pending death it looks like she might never cross everything off).

Aw, man.

But after Landon and Jamie begin dating, he decides that he is going to try to help her check off as many as he possibly can.

He takes her to the state border (#4):

Getting her temporary tattoos (#5) as her dad wouldn’t let her have a real one:

And buying a star, naming it after her (#3):

While all of these are absolutely adorable and really show how Landon has changed and how much he loves her, the best part is when he fulfills #1.

So romantic

So as Jamie is dying with very little time left, Landon asks her to marry him.

I know how romantic is that? He knows how much that means to her, the first thing she ever dreamed of doing was being married in the same church as her mother and father with her father officiating. He knows that out of everything this is her biggest dream, and he helps her fulfill it. What a dream guy!

It’s just so romantic how much he loves her! This made me want my own Landon. Why, why, why- are the best guys fictional?

And to make that moment even more romantic not only did he fulfill her #1 goal, but the other most important on her list; #2

So romantic

Such a great film!  I highly recommend it! I watch it over and over.

To start Romance is in the Air from the beginning, go to Boom Box of Love: Say Anything (1989)

For the previous post, go to You’re My Exception: He’s Just NOT That Into You (2009)

For more on A Walk to Remember, go to Number Two Look Just Like You

For more Nicholas Sparks, go to I Love You Anyway: The Notebook (2004)

For more films based on books, go to Feast Your Eyes On My Accursed Ugliness: The Phantom of the Opera (1925)