Movie Review: Endless Love (2014)
Written by Anthony Sargon
With Valentine’s Day upon us, audiences can expect the usual barrage of subpar romantic dramas to make their way into theaters. Shana Feste’s “Endless Love”, which is the second adaptation of Scott Spencer’s novel of the same name, is nothing more than a desperate holiday cash-grab. It’s lazy, clichéd, and can only be enjoyed with your brain checked at the door.
Jade Butterfield (Gabriella Wilde) is a beautiful, rich, but lonely 17-yeard-old high schooler. Ever since her brother passed away a few years back, Jade has devoted her life to school and her family, pretty much giving up on having a social life. All of that changes when she meets David Elliot (Alex Pettyfer), a fellow high-schooler with a dark past. When Jade’s asshole dad (Bruce Greenwood) finds out about the relationship, he goes on to do whatever is in his power to stop them from being together.
With the exception of Bruce Greenwood and Joely Richardson (who plays Jade’s mom), everyone gives a pretty bad performance. Gabriella Wilde, while a bit awkward, shows promise, but the material she’s given does her absolutely no favors. Alex Pettyfer, on the other hand, is flat-out terrible. He slurs his words with a weird and inconsistent accent, and has zero range; he’s just there to look pretty. David is just a shallow fantasy of what some women would consider to be the ideal guy, but it’s extremely unbelievable and ridiculous.
Honestly, the film’s most interesting character ends up being the dad, Hugh Butterfield. Yes, he’s a major dick, but you at least understand why he’s so protective of his daughter. He’s been through the horror of losing a child, so he’s certainly not going to be happy about his daughter hanging around some dude with a troubled past. He definitely could have been less of an asshole about the whole thing, but for a supporting character, he has the most depth.
The Verdict:
“Endless Love” is a total cheese fest. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll find plenty to love. My suggestion is to find a theater that’s still showing “Her”, so you can watch a man and an operating system have a more believable relationship than two human beings. Or just watch “RoboCop.”
Numerical Score: 3/10
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