Hollywood has been running out of ideas for years – remakes, sequels, prequels and reboots now seem to be the order of the day. What's hard to imagine is why anyone thought a remake of Endless Love was necessary in the first place. The 1981 film of the same name – based on a pulpy, albeit well-regarded, novel by Scott Spencer – wasn't even that good to begin with. At least that version of the story had the distinction of starring a young, nubile Brooke Shields, not to mention a title song that became more famous than the movie itself. This remake manages to be both extremely bland and painfully melodramatic, bled of almost any hint of controversy or genuine complexity and darkness.
Jade Butterfield (Gabriella Wilde) is the quintessential poor little rich girl: a beautiful, blonde ice princess who has shut herself in with her parents, Hugh (Bruce Greenwood) and Anne (Joely Richardson), after the untimely death of her brother Chris. David (Alex Pettyfer) is a kid from the poorer side of town who has nursed a crush on her throughout high school. She's college-bound, he just wants to work in his dad's (Robert Patrick) workshop. When they finally connect, sparks fly and Jade starts to re-think the safe, perfect future she's planned with Hugh.
It's all very cookie-cutter high-school romantic melodrama. Nothing about this film feels particularly fresh or smart, although it does start out a little better than you'd expect. But, after the initial meet-cute between Jade and a thoroughly smitten David, Endless Love quickly descends into trashy predictability: Hugh does everything within his power to get rid of David, but the spark of love and lust between the star-crossed couple burns so hot and bright that nothing will stand in their way.
What's frustrating is that the film has almost completely excised anything even remotely complex about its plot and characters. The 1981 movie may have been faintly terrible and soapy, but it at least made a stab at psychological darkness, suggesting that the 'endless love' of the title bordered more on creepy, damaging obsession than sweet, romantic love. There's no such suggestion here: David is troubled but ultimately noble; Jade is purely, truly in love; and it's the curmudgeonly Hugh who must realise the errors of his ways.
The cast is watchable but not really memorable. Pettyfer broods as if he knows he's meant for better things. Wilde is effortlessly, often stunningly beautiful, but doesn't have much to offer beyond that. Greenwood has the most scenery to chew – he practically twirls an invisible moustache and cackles at some points – but it's Richardson who walks away with the film's few affecting moments (even though her character loses much of its shock value in morphing into the archetypal loyal, loving housewife).
You would imagine that, in a cinematic landscape overrun by remakes, these films would – at the minimum – have something interesting to say about the times in which we live now. They can make a case for their existence, perhaps, by being a little edgier than the original films: explaining why there's a need to tell this old story again. Endless Love doesn't really manage that. Instead, by forgoing depth and darkness for schmaltz and sentiment, it ends up being even safer and sweeter than a movie shot over thirty years ago.

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Though 'Endless Love' feels like a rehash of 'The Notebook' (as if one were needed), it's actually a remake of a long-forgotten film from 1980, starring Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt, based on the novel by Scott Spencer. In fact, if that film is remembered at all, it's probably as much for the drippy, inexplicably popular title song (sung by Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie) as for the movie itself (it also marked the screen debut of Tom Cruise, which gives it some historical significance).
This is another of those dime-a-dozen romances between two kids from opposite sides of the tracks (as always, the adolescents are portrayed by actors long out of their teens). Jade is a poor-little-rich-kid who's just graduated high school and is about to embark on a promising career in medicine. David, on the other hand, is all ready to set up life as a mechanic in his dad's garage. The movie has to find a way to explain how the beautiful Jade, who would clearly be the most popular girl in any high school in the United States, just happens to be the least popular girl at this one. Turns out Jade's brother died of cancer a few years back and she's been isolating with her family ever since.
'Endless Love' lines up its cast of stereotypes in dutiful fashion: the snooty rich folk, the jealous exes, the super-supportive mother and brother, the wisecracking sidekick, and the over-protective, elitist dad who fairly drips with disdain for the lower social orders, of whom David is a prime example, and who will stop at nothing to keep such a boy from marrying his daughter.
Jade is such a dreamy-eyed dolt and David such a paragon of dime-novel romance that it becomes impossible for us to identify with either one of them as actual people. Even David's allegedly troubled background seems gussied-up and phony, a bit of back story tacked on to make him more relatable to the audience. It doesn't work.
Riddled with cheesy dialogue and ridiculous plot points, especially in the melodramatic finale, this sappy, white-bread take on 'Romeo and Juliet' (minus the poetry, of course) scrapes the bottom of the barrel as far as recent movie romances go. Though, come to think of it, at least they dropped that dreadful song. That's at least one point in the movie's favor.

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Personally I actually liked this movie, regardless of the annoying people sitting behind me laughing the entire movie and the people sitting beside me who were crying the whole entire time for god knows what reason. This movie was not a serious movie, but one of puppy love. Its similar to movies such as The Last Song, Letters to Juliet, Dear John, the Vow and the Lucky One. While these movies aren't all that serious and have a lot of depth, they're a good light happy movie that you'll walk away feeling happy from. I actually thought the acting was very good, and the movie was actually pleasant, and something I would definitely see again. I mean what do people expect when they go to watch a movie called 'Endless Love', honestly of course its going to be a cheesy love story about a girl and a guy falling in love. I mean thats what the whole story is about, so if you don't like a good old fashioned love story than this isn't for you. I will say that it is more of a girls type of movie than a guys movie, but thats not to say that a guy would not like it to. I rate this movie about a 7/10. It is a good movie, not great, but it is a cute love story that was a good pick for me and my girlfriends to see on valentines Day. Happy Watching.

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Do you remember 'Safe Haven'? Yeah, that soppy romantic drama last year that ended with (SPOILER ALERT if anyone cares) Robin Scherbatsky's character being a ghost that wanted her former husband to find true love again.
Safe Haven is several times better than Endless Love, and I hated Safe Haven.
Endless Love is a movie so mind-bogglingly inept, so blissfully unaware, so morally empty, and so raucously confident that if it (God forbid) took the form of a human being, you would alternately want to weep for her, educate her, and bash in her skull with a bowling ball. This movie takes place in a world that is structurally unsound and is populated with aggressively stupid characters whose actions are unjustifiably opposed to sound logic and good morals.
Yes, Endless Love is a film aimed at a very particular target audience with a very specific goal in mind, and therefore its flaws mean little to the filmmakers or to the numerous squealing 13-15 year old girls at my showing. However, that does not excuse it from following film rules that, when broken, force a viewer out of the entertainment experience and instead force them to put their head in their hands in disgust.
1. You need a strong lead character. Jade Butterfield is the opposite of a strong lead character. She is a selfish, spoiled, and ignorant 17-year-old who falls head-over-heals for a stranger and then proceeds to give up everything (from body to future) to this reckless young man whose first impression on her is taking a client's car for a joyride and then assaulting the man. She treats her father awfully even before he turns into a dominating jerk and she says stupid things like, 'Let's be young and dumb' and 'I want to go sneak into a zoo and get high with people I don't know and I demand you go with me!' Okay, maybe I stretched that last one. Also, don't even try to consider the boyfriend as the main character: he is two-dimensional, un-complex, artificially constructed and a poor excuse for a human being, whose purpose is to make the target audience swoon and be severely disappointed with real men.
2. You need convincing conflict. Jade's father is not convincing conflict. He seems like a genuinely good father whose good character traits seem to reflect his inner love nature and his negative traits are unconvincing and contrived in every sense. This is especially displayed in his affair, the provocation scene against Jade's lover, and the scene where he almost beats said lover with a baseball bat. These scenes are in direct contrast to scenes that describe a man who left his job to support his dying son, who constantly wants to help his daughter succeed, and is wary of a violent young man who hides with his daughter in closets during parties. To any logical viewer, it is much easier to side with a hurt father figure who only wants a bright future for his children (as opposed to a mother who only wants her children to find 'true love' and to get 'good at getting their hearts broken') and not a mindless 17-year-old caught up in a week-old infatuation and who is insisting that she found the love of her life. And don't even get me started on the living son and his girlfriend, whose characters are entirely irrelevant and whose sole purpose seems to be to force the audience to believe the dad is the bad guy.
3. In a romance aimed at tweens and teens, you need some underlying morality or a subtle message to 'do what is right'. This movie knows what is right and what is smart, identifies it, and then promptly laughs in its face and grinds it into the dirt. It is NOT okay for a young girl to ignore the violent tendencies of her boyfriend before intending to give up her life for him. It is NOT okay for a mother to be jealous of the 'love' between 2 teenagers that just met and be upset with the father when attempts to break it off. It is NOT okay to steal people's cars because they are jerks towards you. It is NOT okay to sneak into people's houses that don't like you and have sex with someone you hardly know. It is NOT okay to say 'screw you' to internships and opportunities you have committed to when teenage love shows up: that's not how life works. It is NOT okay to say it is more important to seek out a lover before deciding what to do with your life. It is NOT okay to smoke weed in the elephant's exhibit. It is NOT okay to make out with an old boyfriend while you are in a relationship and then promise to run away to the other side of the world in the middle of college, with no money or plans or future. None of what this movies says is okay, is okay.
There was so much wrong with Endless Love, but my space is quite limited so I touched upon my biggest gripes. As a college student soon to be engaged, this type of movie should appeal to my inner romantic at least on some primal level and instead, both my girlfriend and I left this movie embarrassed to have spent money in this film and laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the film's messages and characters. As my girlfriend said, 'I have never enjoyed the trailers before the movie more than I enjoyed the movie until I saw Endless Love'.
As a postscript: dear filmmakers, teenagers coming from a party that just got busted by the cops aren't going to go to a new party with adults and then play games that involve choreography and a boombox and then go home nicely when told to by the adults. Nice try.

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This is basically a good romantic movie. If you are hoping for more depth, more story or more anything you will be disappointed. But for what it was, I enjoyed it.
The acting was solid, I really liked Gabriella Wildes performance. She was fresh faced and innocent. I was really not interested in Alex Pettyfer's performance prior to watching it, but he proved me wrong and was believable and you found yourself with a vested interest in their relationship.
If you are after an escape into a good romantic movie, I think this one is worth the effort...

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The original 'Endless Love' movie was trashed by many critics for not being very faithful to Scott Spencer's acclaimed novel, but placed next to this (supposed) remake, it comes across as pretty provocative and daring. As you might have guessed by that last statement, this remake strips everything controversial out of the original story. For example, while the novel and the original movie concerned underaged teenagers in a forbidden romance, the youths in this remake have just graduated from high school - which kind of takes the 'forbidden' out of the romance. The story has been heavily rewritten so that it's now instead another tired retelling of an uppercrust father who doesn't want his precious daughter hanging around with a working class youth - yes, you've seen it all before. Even the climax (involving a fire) is clichéd and predictable If you really want to see this old story again, you'll find that this is a professionally produced version. But the only fresh element to be found is the performance of Robert Patrick, who's pretty good in his supporting role.

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To my surprise I actually really enjoyed this movie.
I wasn't sure with all the P-G 13 romantic movies, I figured nothing would make this stand out and it would be another typical teenage romance.
I was pleasantly surprised with the film and though it may be a bit clichéd, I was captivated by the tender acting of Gabrielle Wilde.
The character of the tough, stubborn father of Gabrielle brings to perspective the reality of needing to let go of the past in order to allow in good of the present.
There's really not much more to say. This film isn't very deep, or original, but it was nice to watch.

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I admit that a small part of me is rating this movie poorly because I am not part of the target audience. But another reason is that the teen love stories from my adolescent years were way more intriguing. Movies like: A Walk to Remember, 10 Things I Hate About You, and even Cruel Intentions, were far more intense, had better dialogue, and were more memorable. It would be impractical for me to rate this flop higher than those prototypes.
Also, no one can film a successful romance without chemistry between the lead actors. The female lead was bland! Clearly the director ignored her lack of expression for the sake of her pretty nose and lips. The male lead only had one expression, confusion. Even when he smiled, it seemed like he didn't get the joke. At one point, he knelt down to look at a fleck of dust when he was supposed to be distressed! The rest of the cast shouldn't have to carry the film because Juliet is monotonous and Romeo's open mouth is drooling. Anyway, who am I kidding? I guess the dull girl is supposed to end up with the confused guy; but my glass ball tells me they have some quiet dinner tables in their future.

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This movie was one of the most disappointing I have seen in a long time. The plot is predictable, the characters the same washed-out figures from movies past, and the message is unrealistic and ridiculous. The movie itself contains a predictable array of Hollywood dramatics, ranging from a car crash and subsequent hospital visit, to a raging house fire to complete the 'climactic' ending. The characters are disastrous- Jade simply a pretty face with little emotional depth and David a clichéd young man trying to escape from a dark past. The plot is a series of ludicrous, unrealistic twists and turns designed to pull at the emotions, which only made me laugh at how absurd the entire thing was. A complete waste of time & money.

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I saw this awhile back off HBO GO. The only reason I watched this was really just out of curiosity, to compare with the original 1981 film starring Martin Hewitt and a young Brooke Shields. This recent remake stars Gabriella Wilde (who starred in another recent remake, 'Carrie') and Alex Pettyfur ('Magic Mike'), as well as one of my fav. character actors, Bruce Greenwood as the girl's dad. HE is the only good thing about this- his performance. Yes, he's an a**hole, but you can't help but empathize with him a bit-?? LOL
Overall, this movie is just a sugar-coated/watered down remake. I had remembered the original being a bit edgier, and looked into it and found I was right. In fact, upon further research, found that the original book it was based on was even edgier than the first film. Why did they not base the new movie directly on THAT instead of this poor piece of work-?? And last, but not least- no Tom Cruise as the budding pyromaniac??? -now THAT is the main reason to stay away- VERY far away from this movie!!??? LOL

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Despite the updating, this story is still dated. The disapproving father thing is just too clichéd. At least the story in this 2014 version isn't as depressing as the Brooke Shields version (for those who can remember) which was famous for the Diana Ross / Lionel Richie theme song.
The predominantly British cast isn't quite right for the movie. Alex Pettyfer looks too old and rather slimy with his slick hair for the role. He has a 20 something playboy look that isn't right for a high school kid. Gabriella Wilde isn't a terribly expressive or convincing actress. She doesn't act in love. Brooke Shields did a better job.
It's not even as good as an inferior Nicholas Sparks movie. This one is totally optional.

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I have a decent range when it comes to film viewing, but I don't enjoy romance. Firstly, they're unrealistic and secondly, you can usually tell what will happen. So, Endless Love is a love story. Cue alarm bells. But it gets worse. The awful trailer makes it look like just another bland love story. Except it's not. This is a romance between Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde. Think of that and tremble. There are 2 big questions here: 1. The original Endless Love movie was apparently awful, so why remake it? 2. How can a film be called Endless Love, consist primarily of its 2 leads gazing into each other's eyes, be full of romantic montages and love scenes and have a script which is overloaded with romantic sayings yet feel less romantic, moving and emotional than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? To be fair, it is what you'd expect from a film like this and there is a bit of humour which is appreciated but aside from that this is a two dimensional and aggressively bland movie that is one of the worst in a strong year for films.
The acting is laughably bad from the 2 leads. Alex Pettyfer is that bland kid who made Alex Rider (The super cool boy spy from the Alex Rider books) as bland as a shopping mannequin. Gabriella Wilde is that model who murdered the character of Sue Snell in last year's Carrie remake. Together, they have no chemistry and no emotional investment whatsoever. The direction is utterly nauseating as the film plays like an extended romantic music video and the script is utterly devoid of any kind of spark or charisma. Endless Love will appeal to its audience, but it is one of the blandest movies in recent memory and so full of clichés (I feel like I've seen all these things hundreds of times before and I don't watch this kind of film a lot) you'll forget in 24 hours. To add insult to injury, they actually put family issues and bereavement drama into this pathetic love story which feels out of place and irritating. Endless Love is so boring it passes too quickly to do any real harm, but you've seen the whole film just by watching the trailer.
2/10

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Life is unpredictable and then life will turn upside down when you meet you the right person and will feel like staying in safe haven with the person closest to you. Endless Drama is romantic–drama that has strong performances but is mowed by a weak script.
Endless Love tells the story of a high-society yet shy and introvert girl who falls in love with charismatic boy who works in a garage with his father. The journey of their love begins but faces hurdles in form of their parents who disapproves of their relationship.
Endless Love has everything going in its favor - enchanting chemistry between the screen couple, nice background score , beautiful location. However the fairy tale does not last long with never ending drama towards the climax and is saddened by a weak script which makes the movie a one-time watch. Alex Pettyfer gives a fine performance and giving admirable performance with each film. Gabriella Wilde is eye- candy but needs to have better expression. Bruce Greenwood, Robert Patrick are usual dependent.
So, if you are looking for a nice romantic date with your partner, you might choose Endless Love for a perfect evening. Decent 2.75/5

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Love lost and love found are some of the most rewarding narratives we have ever seen on the big screen. In David Elliot's (Alex Pettyfer) case, love lost, as his therapist tells him, is 'like a book you read long ago', and those words could not be more true for Endless Love. Aside from being a remake of Brooke Sheilds' 1981 film of the same name, the film is also an exercise to see how Shakespeare's famous tragedy, written almost 420 years ago, could be modernized, interpreted and adapted for a Pinterest-driven, Instagram-obsessed generation of young people. But like the amaro, hudson and mayfair filters featured on the highly addictive mobile app, Endless Love is a sun kissed love story told through the lens of a writer/director that is beautiful to look at, and understands what it's audience wants, especially during one of the most forcefully romantic times of the year.
No movie released on or around Valentine's Day should be judged on originality, because like the holiday itself, there is nothing original about roses, chocolates, and forced sentiment that is the driving force flooding people's minds. Instead, writer/director Shana Feste delivers an entertaining, nicely shot film of first love with many of the essential ingredients to make it a success amongst young people.
One minute, hopping along the roofs of cars, the other, kissing the girl of your dreams, Endless Love is a soft and safe story of two lovers who find themselves on opposite ends of the tracks of life. David, who has been in love with Jade Butterfield (Gabriella Wilde) since tenth grade, uses their high school graduation as a chance to finally connect with her. The wonderfully innocent and vibrantly blonde Jade, who has spent the last two years of high school mourning the death of her older brother Chris Butterfield (Patrick Johnson), decides to spend most of her free time submerged in literature and within the tall gates of her family's large estate. Grieving from the loss of their child, Hugh and Anne Butterfield (Bruce Greenwood and Joely Richardson) are content with having their two remaining children sheltered at home. It isn't until Jade's graduation that the lives of the Butterfield's are completely sent topsy-turvy by David, a smart and sophisticated young man whose main concerns are his father and his attainment of true love.
The 1981 version of the film is a dark and often times melodramatic adaptation of Scott Spencer's novel of the same name. David's character and the past that haunts him in the two earlier adaptations are much darker and convoluted, often times resulting in mental institution. But in Feste's interpretation, the real conflict in the film is the one between Jade's overprotective father Hugh, and David. This conflict in the film is the driving force for so many of the characters and is one that shows the intentions of a young and impressionable boy, against the expectations of a worrisome and overbearing father.
Hugh, a cardiologist, after having his prized son pass away, looks to keep his family tradition alive through his to-be doctor daughter, especially since his middle son Keith (Rhys Wakefield of The Purge), is intent at keeping his father at arms length; falling in love and studying on his own terms. Greenwood's performance of Hugh is one that has many layers; on the one side, a protective father who keeps his daughter from making a decision that might jeopardized her life and future; and on the other side is a haughty, upper class elite who doesn't see David as able to provide the kind of lifestyle his daughter deserves. Greenwood becomes the essence of the film, showing that true love doesn't always reign supreme and providing the film with a conflicted character with realistic and somewhat expected mid-life crises.
The truth remains, there is a big difference between true love and first love. David, who scores an impeccable SAT score and professes to finding happiness in simplicity, spends his days after high school helping his father Harry Elliot (Robert Patrick) around the auto shop he owns. Throughout Endless Love we are reminded just how smart and wise David is, yet the choices he makes, and a little bad luck, get the better of him. Showing very brief glimpses of anger that often finds his fist connecting with several people throughout the film, David gives merit to Hugh's concerns for his daughter. But, like any good cranky dad set amidst any love story, love reigns over logic. Decisions are made during the course of heart-wrenching monologues, and tempers escalate quickly, but not before any Valentine's Day film's centre motto is expressed, and that's letting the past go.
Greenwood's character Hugh may be a bit manipulative, controlling and dramatic with his actions towards David, but there is no doubt that Hugh faces so many of the concerns of fathers whose daughters tread off the path they set for them. Endless Love is a very melodramatic yet manipulative descent into social classes and how it affects young people in love, but throughout the film, there are hints of truth and reality.
Overall the film is a success thanks to it's talented actors in front of the camera. From Richardson, a mother who knows the power of love, to Wakefield who gives an accurate, rebellious truth to the neglected middle child, the performances in Endless Love are as good as can be. Dayo Okeniyi, who gives a reminiscent Derek Luke like performance in the film, gives the film much of its humour and heart, standing beside his best friend and star-crossed lover David. Aside from the lovers, the film is held together by it's patriarch Greenwood, on and off screen.
Check out the full review at www.nightfilmreviews.com

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This is a beautifully filmed love story with something for everyone. Gabriella Wilde and Alex Pettyfer are the faces to watch this year. This is not a rehash of the older version, but an updated story for a new generation. The soundtrack was fresh and didn't overpower the dialogue. Shana Feste ( director and writer on Country Strong and The Greatest) is great at getting emotion out of young actors and makes her characters lovable.
It was refreshing to see a light and lovely story with no murder or vampires involved. You will actually leave the theatre feeling happy. The audience clapped at the end...when does that ever happen?

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This was quite possibly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It was an array of ignorance portrayed by naive characters who seem to have no idea how the real world works. I went to see this yesterday with my friends who enjoyed it because their favorite types of films are shallow romances. The characters consistently made bad and mind- numbing decisions and there was no plot whatsoever. The supposed 'plot' ended by the delinquent boyfriend saving the father, who is supposed to be the antagonist, though he is only concerned about his children's welfare, from a fire that was caused by the father's black sheep son and overcoming a change of heart, allowing the toxic relationship between his daughter and this boyfriend to continue. The girl was just ignorant to life and it was frustrating to watch. Do not watch or purchase this film. It is the biggest waste of money and time ever.

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The film follows David (Alex Pettyfer) who has had a long-lasting crush on beautiful rich girl Jade (Gabriella Wilde). It is on the day of their high school graduation when their two worlds collide. As the poor city boy and the sheltered rich girl's love begin to grow, the disapproval of Jade's father (Bruce Greenwood) does as well. He will stop at nothing to keep the two young lovers apart, and it will test the limits of how strong David and Jade's love truly is.
Endless Love definitely follows the footsteps of previous romance films, despite being a remake and an adaptation of a book of the same name. However, that doesn't prevent the film from being a powerful love story on its own. The characters are so lovable and more than anything you want their love to prevail and want everything to work out for them. We watch as they begin their cute encounters upon first meeting, and we gradually see their love grow more and more, and as the story goes on, we can literally feel the love between them despite the obstacles. It's definitely not a fresh love story, but anyone with a heart and has a strong belief in love can see so much deeper into his. Despite what critics and other reviews say, this is a powerful love story that shows how powerful love can be and how much we want to give that love to someone else.
Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde have AMAZING chemistry, enough to where it really helps you believe this couple is in love. Not since Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in The Notebook has one been able to literally feel the love and chemistry two actors have to display on screen. On their own, the two actors do just as an amazing job. Wilde provides a lot beauty and innocence to her role as the girl who wants to throw away her sheltered and rich life to be with the one she loves most. Pettyfer proves a strong performance as a guy who will stop at nothing to be with the one he loves. He displays his full range as an actor when it involves his character confronting his past demons and deeper emotions.
Despite the harsh reviews that will come its way, Endless Love is a truly powerful love story that only people who are deeply in love, have deeply loved, or strongly believe in love will appreciate. It is only those like critics and those who haven't experienced love or really believe in it that will be blinded to the film's overall meaning. On top of that, we have the two solid performances by the leads to lift the film up to higher standards than most recent romantic dramas.
My Rating: 10/10

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6.0? You must be joking me! This film deserves a 10? It's not just a romantic chick flick, the amount of tension in this film makes you want to scream, there's parts that make you want to cry, there's also parts where you want to rip, jades dads' head off, but yeah, there is the amazing love between David and Jade, it's not the typical teenage love story, it truly is amazing, it looks at love from a completely different perspective. The adventures they go on, the things they do, it's lovely to watch. This film is incredibly made, the music matches every moment perfectly, the way they show everything is amazing. The build up to things is spot-on, I watched this at the cinema on valentines, and I am 100% going to buy in on DVD! I'm still debating going to see it at the cinema again. :)

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Many reviews criticise this title for being a cliché or being unoriginal or being too normal. And that is exactly what gave this movie it's magic.
Sometimes being human and being in love is much less that finding some deeper insight and more about just struggling though circumstances as best we can. There is a movie for everyone and not all stories needs to be grossly intense and over engineered. The production value was of a good quality and I fail to see why so many reviews would give this movie such low scores – maybe because they were not able to appreciate the simplicity of this film?
It is in its lightness and simplicity that its ability to reach an audience lies. It is true to itself and though yes, it can be too soft at times, I suspect that is exactly what the viewer wants when (s)he takes a title like 'endless love' off the DVD shelf. The story moves at a very good pace, the acting is placed just right and all the elements works together to make a very engaging experience. It is not quite a chick flick, neither is it a film that is going to race at the Tribeca Film Festival. But I think it was written with gentleness and care. It was directed and acted with a sense of maturity and the viewer do get the feeling that the film maker understood the subject very deeply and if merely by that he reached an audience and gave them a deeper insight into the issues they are dealing with in their own lives, it is a successful piece of work.
There is absolutely NOTHING offensive about this movie and though I was not moved to tears, it did not fail to touch me none the less. I can say this many times – not every time I watch a film, do I want to step away with the heavy emotional content of Schindler's List and neither do I want to start awarding Oscars for best performances. Some days all I want it to walk away and feel that I have seen a story worth watching, that was done with respect and that understands life.
And that Endless Love surely does.

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A terrible film by Shana Feste, 'Endless Love' sees a couple of rich, well educated parents hurling scorn and disapproval at their daughter (Gabriella Wilde), a young woman who dares throw away a career to be with a 'lower class' slacker. How dare she!
Packed with clichés, 'Endless Love' ends with a hokey metaphor. Here a father saves his daughter's lover from the fire which decimates her childhood home, thereby symbolically coming to terms with his daughter's newfound independence. It's all very cringe-worthy. Romantics looking for a better film by Shana Feste are better off with 2010's 'Country Strong'. See too the more pessimistic romances of Nicole Holofcener.
2/10 – Terrible.

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The girl is really pretty, the boy looks much older than 18, and the plot is mushy, unrealistic, confusing and yet predictable.
Not a single one of the actors playing the top 5 characters in this movie was even born in America (they come from England, Australia, and Canada), yet they play Americans. Lowly mechanic and valet 'David's' accent betrays him at times. He's supposed to be 18, she's 17, and elder brother Keith around 19, yet the actors' ages at the time of shooting were closer to 24, 25, and 26, respectively...and it showed.
I kept wondering when I would see the signs that the girl was a brilliant honors student bound for an ivy league pre-med program, but instead saw a wide-eyed child more at home drawing unicorns, shopping or making goo- goo eyes. I kept wondering what the father's motivation was for his visceral hatred of David. Did the writers really think people these days still act so class-conscious? Pretty in Pink is 30 years old, and even back then, the 'rich tread on the poor' class-warfare theme was a stretch. For a kid (David) who apparently aced his SATs, chose to remain loyal to his jilted dad and his business, and who treated the girl (Jade) with a good deal of respect, the rich girl's dad could have done a lot worse. Yet he remained relentlessly hostile and even evil to David.
Spoiler alert: The viewer has a feeling something's going to happen to change the dad's mind, and, courtesy of a neatly timed, drama-laden car wreck, house fire and clumsy rescue scene, his heart finally softens. 'I tried to save him,' he suddenly admits to David in a strange, non-sequitur moment, referring to his teenage son who had died from cancer, 'but I couldn't.' Wait...what? You're a cardiologist, not an oncologist, and what does your son's tragic death have to do with the unfaithful, jerk-like way you've been behaving?
I lost track of the series of plans the kids make: first they're okay with the impending separation, then she's going to cancel a summer internship, then he's going to try to get into college too, then, then that goes awry, the dad files a restraining order to keep David away, and they're going to drop everything and run away together. By the end I don't know who was going where, or what ever happened to the dad's restraining order. Did he lose interest in what his daughter's education plans would be?
I got confused, but that may have been my mind's predictable drifting, kind of like the plot. Rather than hurt your head, try this: if you have an ear for beauty, listen to the original theme song, and if you have an eye for beauty, watch a couple clips of the frolicking Gabriella Wilde. You'll get the same amount of pleasure but save 2 hours of your life.

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We watched the DVD from our public library. For comparison I re-watched the 1981 version of the same name and based (loosely) on the same book. Although the very basic premise of teens in love and a dad that will do almost anything to keep them apart is the same in both, each is developed quite differently and have quite different endings. The former one is darker, this one is more teen-friendly and has a more cheerful ending.
It is interesting that British actors play 3 of the 4 key roles, as Americans, and they do such a good job with their 'American' accents that it is never a distraction. But after the movie, when I looked them up, the boy is almost exactly 1 year younger than the girl, although he seemed to be 6 or 8 years older.
Alex Pettyfer, about 23 during filming is the boy, David Elliot and Gabriella Wilde, about 24 during filming, is Jade Butterfield. Both are seniors in this Atlanta area school, but didn't really know each other with graduation day at hand. In this version Jade's brother had died a few years earlier and in her funk had pretty well stayed away from all teen activities and had essentially no friends, But she was a superior student bound for Brown University and medical school, to follow in the footsteps of her dad.
David, in contrast, worked for his dad as a mechanic, seemed to like that, and had no plans to go to college. So when he and Jade became quick friends and seemed headed for more, the rude dad began to plant the seed that he was not worthy of someone like his daughter.
Bruce Greenwood is an excellent villain as the doctor dad Hugh Butterfield, haunted by his own demons as he failed to save their sick and dying son. As a result he became overprotective and controlling, and couldn't deal with his daughter now getting a mind of her own.
The mom is played sort of like Jade's mom in the 1981 version, happy to see that her daughter was breaking out of her funk and especially finding young love. She is played well by Joely Richardson as Anne Butterfield. Old faithful Robert Patrick is David's single dad, Harry Elliot.
Jade is of course a bit older and quite different from the 1981 Jade, but still a young girl in love. David here is played quite different, as a nice, helpful, well-adjusted young man. In the end it is he who comforts Jade's dad who finally realized all his sins telling him it isn't too late to get things better.
We enjoyed it as a 'popcorn' movie, in spite of the fairly adult themes my wife and I both thought it was made for a teen audience. The actors are good-looking and the story has an upbeat, hopeful ending. After all, the title isn't 'Endless Love' for no reason.

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I watched this movie as I knew of Emma Rigby from her Hollyoaks days as Hannah Ashworth. I liked her as an actress - boy I wish I hadn't bothered. Why on earth she was cast as Jenny a 17 year old with a face that looks well over 25 and botoxed to the hilt is beyond me. I found her surgical enhancements a total distraction from the conversations she was taking part in.
The rest of the movie - it's all a bit 'seen it before' I could deal with that, problem is it's been done to death and far better than this attempt. While it's not quite terrible, it doesn't even pass as mediocre. Totally forgettable.

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When i saw this movie only got a 5.8 out of 10, I was shocked. I tried to think of reasons why people could have been disappointed with it but came up with none. So I read through some of the reviews and completely disagreed with them. I've never seen the original movie so I cant say anything in comparison to it. However, what I do know is that this movie was truly amazing. Maybe its just because I am a hopeless romantic but this movie was different from other romance movies. It made me see things from a different perspective. David and Jude's love seemed so real and I found myself continuously getting caught up in the movie. When the movie ended I instantly wished for there to be a second movie. The movie seemed so short and there was no part in the movie that made me uninterested or bored. I would definitely recommend this movie and I would even go see it again.

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I have watched Endless Love ~10 now in the last two weeks, and I'm not particularly the romantic film guy. Each of the leading actors, or perhaps I should say significant actors, did a fantastic, professional job, with maybe Joely Richardson the most professional, though certainly not the star that shone the brightest. To me, that would be Gabriella Wilde. I'm a huge Alex Pettyfer fan but Gabriella's energy enlivened every scene. My first time seeing her, and I want more. She is a huge talent without a doubt, and I think she will prove that in future films. I don't know why this film didn't make a huge splash because it had all the components storyline wise. As the years go by, I've come to appreciate Bruce Greenwood's professionalism and he played his role here to the limit, making one grit one's teeth with anger. My only quibble was that A. Pettyfer's dialogue seemed stilted in the beginning. I wished I'd never seen Endless Love 2014 so I could watch it again for the first time. Kudos to all.

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