What a surprisingly great movie! I crack up when I look on other Web sites that collect critics' reviews; they're absolutely scathing in how they hate this movie. This says a lot more about the type of folks who become movie critics than it does about this film, which is just about the most uplifting thing you'll ever see (except of course Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful ). Teen singer Mandy Moore is great as the wholesome girl who believes in God and finds love in a bad kid -- a bad kid who becomes transformed by her wisdom and faith over the course of the movie. Shane West is very compelling in the lead role. It's quite well-written too. I'm sure that some people will call some of the plot twists hokey or cliche, but let's be frank for a moment: you don't see these so-called cliches much in American culture anymore, so can they really be called cliche? What's now cliche is the jaded cynicism of Ghost World and movies like that -- A Walk to Remember is a breath of fresh air, standing out by comparison for how good it makes you feel about life. I sure hope Britney Spears sees this and learns a lesson from Ms. Moore about how you don't need to be an exhibitionist freak to succeed in the entertainment industry.