Summary
6 tech score
Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde in “Endless Love”; photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
“Endless Love” (Universal Pictures)
Actor Alex Pettyfer is 24 years old, and looks older. In his new film “Endless Love” he plays a high school senior, which is ridiculous. His co-star is Gabriella Wilde who is 25, but she at least can pass for 19 or 20. Still if you are making a movie about high school seniors why can’t you cast actors who look remotely in the age range required? What is this, “Grease 3”?
In the film poor boy David (Pettyfer) has had a crush on rich girl Jade (Wilde) for some time but has never acted on it. Jade has been withdrawn during their high school years due to the death of her beloved brother Chris. As graduation rolls around David and Jade meet at the country club where he is parking cars and she is dining with her family. Their eyes meet and soon they are taking a wild ride around the countryside in another patron’s car.
Eventually David gets invited to Jade’s house for a party and love blossoms. Of course Jade’s father Hugh (Bruce Greenwood) disapproves but her mother Anne (Joely Richardson) sees potential in him. Jade is totally hooked and is willing to go against her father to be with him.
The movie is full of teen angst with all the elements of forbidden love coming into play. It works for the most part because of the charisma of the two leads. They may not look like teenagers but they do look like they are endlessly in love.
The best acting in the film comes from Greenwood. He has been around for a while and knows how to perfectly portray the anguish of a father who has lost one child and doesn’t intend to lose another. Opposite him Richardson’s performance never rings true. She is too stiff, too removed from the story even though hers is the role of the compassionate parent.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
Overall “Endless Love” entertains. It does so in spite of the miscasting of the leads and the obviousness of its story. There is just something about a “teen love story” played out against parental objection that always ropes an audience into the melodrama. Plus this movie has a solid performance from Greenwood to keep it all grounded.
I scored “Endless Love” an eternal 6 out of 10.
