Warning: may contain some small spoilers
It's really funny, with better marketing this film may have done better business. What I remember seeing about this film was how evil and maniacal David was going to be. You knew going into the film that he was going to do some really bad things after his facade as the good boyfriend was over. But really, the whole first half of this film has the same feeling as Pretty In Pink or Some Kind Of Wonderful.
When I was watching how Nicole ( Witherspoon )was quickly falling for David's charm and sweetness, I was intrigued. There are some great moments in here that explore young love and my favourite scene in the film and one of my favourite scenes ever that deals with young virginal sexuality, is the roller coaster scene in the film. Everything about it was pure and honest. David ( Wahlberg ) and Nicole get into the front seat of the roller coaster and she is wearing a very short skirt. The ride begins and then the music starts. The song is Wild Horses by a group that I am not familiar with ( no, it is not the Stones ) and they begin to move. David begins to inch his hand cautiously up her skirt. Her facial expressions are perfect. She is apprehensive but excited and after a brief resistance, she lets him touch her. The roller coaster ride becomes a metaphor for how she is feeling. Nicole has now just had her first sexual experience of any kind and David has her. He knows it's only a matter of time before he will take her virginity and she knows it as well.
On this level, the film is perfect. Exploring young love is a delicate situation but director Foley handles it with ease and he even shows the beauty of how love can make you feel. It's just too bad that the film has to take a different path at the conclusion because this could have been a great coming of age love story. I'm not saying the psycho elements to the film are terrible, I'm just saying that the innocence of the love story seems to work and fit better in here. This is a film that reminds us of what it was like to fall in love for the first time and what it was like to make love the first time. And I enjoyed it for that.
I do recommend seeing this film but it just seems like two movies that could have been one. But it is enjoyable and the actors in here are great. Even Mylano and Petersen as Nicole's best friend and father respectively are fun to watch. So it is a good film. But again, not to be redundant, but I liked the innocence of it better than the vigor.
It's really funny, with better marketing this film may have done better business. What I remember seeing about this film was how evil and maniacal David was going to be. You knew going into the film that he was going to do some really bad things after his facade as the good boyfriend was over. But really, the whole first half of this film has the same feeling as Pretty In Pink or Some Kind Of Wonderful.
When I was watching how Nicole ( Witherspoon )was quickly falling for David's charm and sweetness, I was intrigued. There are some great moments in here that explore young love and my favourite scene in the film and one of my favourite scenes ever that deals with young virginal sexuality, is the roller coaster scene in the film. Everything about it was pure and honest. David ( Wahlberg ) and Nicole get into the front seat of the roller coaster and she is wearing a very short skirt. The ride begins and then the music starts. The song is Wild Horses by a group that I am not familiar with ( no, it is not the Stones ) and they begin to move. David begins to inch his hand cautiously up her skirt. Her facial expressions are perfect. She is apprehensive but excited and after a brief resistance, she lets him touch her. The roller coaster ride becomes a metaphor for how she is feeling. Nicole has now just had her first sexual experience of any kind and David has her. He knows it's only a matter of time before he will take her virginity and she knows it as well.
On this level, the film is perfect. Exploring young love is a delicate situation but director Foley handles it with ease and he even shows the beauty of how love can make you feel. It's just too bad that the film has to take a different path at the conclusion because this could have been a great coming of age love story. I'm not saying the psycho elements to the film are terrible, I'm just saying that the innocence of the love story seems to work and fit better in here. This is a film that reminds us of what it was like to fall in love for the first time and what it was like to make love the first time. And I enjoyed it for that.
I do recommend seeing this film but it just seems like two movies that could have been one. But it is enjoyable and the actors in here are great. Even Mylano and Petersen as Nicole's best friend and father respectively are fun to watch. So it is a good film. But again, not to be redundant, but I liked the innocence of it better than the vigor.