I really loved this movie! It's not the greatest movie I've ever seen, but it was so moving, so sad, and very poignant. I'll be the first to admit, parts of it are really unrealistic (I mean, how often do strip-club waitresses who have been alchoholics their whole lives suddenly decide to stop drinking because a very well-educated teacher is falling in love with her (not to mention, those 'kid setting up a romance for the parent' type things are always so fake!)) But all in all, if you ignore the blatantly unrealistic aspects, and apply your mind and heart to the movie's message, I don't think you will be disappointed. The acting is really great on the parts of everyone involved (even Jon Bon Jovi!) The one gripe with Bon Jovi's prescence is that it's near the end of the film, so you spend the last 15-20 minutes noticing how much the kid actually looks like Bon Jovi! But other than that, I think it's a great movie. Very sad, but very moving. Highly recommended.