On the day of their high school graduation, classmates Jade (Gabriella Wilde) and David (Alex Pettyfer) finally talk to each other. Rich and studious Jade has become introverted after the death of her older brother, while blue collar David has always liked Jade from afar.
With the summer ahead of them, Jade and David fall completely in love while the girl’s father, Hugh (Bruce Greenwood), isn’t too pleased that his daughter is distracted by the pangs of first love. Family tensions arise as David’s presence disrupts Hugh’s loving (although controlling) hold over his family, particularly his wife Anne (Joely Richardson) and son, Keith (Rhys Wakefield).
Endless Love is at its strongest when capturing the intoxicating thrill of unabashed young love. There is even a nod to Romeo and his Juliet with a brief balcony scene. However, although its leads clearly have talent and chemistry, Shana Feste’s film does not have the lightning-in-a-bottle appeal of The Notebook, which it is arguably pushing towards. Aspects of the family drama begin but are then abandoned and the majority of female characters are either male-dominated and hopeless romantics (blondes) or duplicitous (brunettes).
It’s not uncommon for actors in their early-to-mid 20s to portrayal teenagers, both Wilde and Pettyfer look more like graduating university students than the high schoolers they are meant to be. Endless Love is a very predictable, ages-old yarn that slightly overstays its welcome as the boilerplate dramatic elements reach their inevitable climax.
Ultimately Endless Love is sweet but a forgettable muddle of romantic cliches though with watchable beautiful people who have made more of the script than was possibly on the page.
