With “Magic Mike” fans still reeling from Alex Pettyfer’s performance in the stripperdrama, the young actor returned for a story with a little more romance and a lot more plot.
“Endless Love” opened in theatres Valentine’s Day and had couples streaming in to celebrate their romantic day with Pettyfer (“Magic Mike,” “About Time,” “I Am Number Four”) and his onscreen epic love, Gabriella Wilde (“Carrie”).
Wilde and Pettyfer are joined by Bruce Greenwood (“Star Trek,” “Super 8,” “Flight”), Joely Richardson (“The Patriot,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”), Robert Patrick (“Walk the Club,” “Trouble With the Curve,” “Identity Thief”) and Rhys Wakefield (“The Purge,” “After the Dark”).
After four years of quiet, distant crushing, the boy from the wrong side of the track, David Elliot (Pettyfer), finally gets the opportunity to talk to the girl of his dreams: Jade Butterfield (Wilde). After their first encounter, Jade’s dad Hugh (Greenwood) is left with a horrible first impression of David and he is less than thrilled that his daughter suddenly wants to see the boy again.
David’s second chance at a first impression doesn’t quite improve his first when he walks out of a closet with Jade in front of their senior class and her parents’ friends. The third impression still leaves Jade’s father with apprehensions toward him even after David fixes Jade’s late brother’s car.
Two days, three encounters and one loss of innocence later, Jade and David are inseparable. With two weeks until Jade leaves for a summer internship, the couple spends every moment they can together, savoring each day together.
When she decides to stay with David rather than go to the internship, though, Hugh is less than accepting and picks up the family and retreats to their summer lake house.
Finally away from David, Hugh hopes that Jade will move on – until David shows up per Jade’s invitation and is allowed to stay with Jade’s mom, Anne’s (Richardson), permission.
As the days move forward on the vacation, Hugh becomes less and less trusting of David as David’s respect for Hugh shatters at the same time. Even with her father’s disapproval, David and Jade refuse to give up on each other, even when a restraining order issued by Hugh forces them apart. With no contact, Jade leaves for college and David continues his work at his father’s shop.
Secrets, passion and lies force the Butterfields apart. In the two years since Jade’s brother’s death, the family has always seemed together, in love. It only takes one love for everything to reach the surface, though, and while one romance crumbles, another grows stronger.
The film was adapted from the 1979 novel of the same name by Scott Spencer. It was also a remake of the original adaption of the same name from 1983. Both attempts, however, have failed at portraying the story on screen. Spencer has commented on the films and expressed his disappointment in the adaptions.
While the film was a romantic stereotype of young love it still maintained a better storyline and relationship than that in Pettyfer’s “Magic Mike.” Standing alone, the movie was loving and a tear-jerker, but it proved to be another
