Endless Love (1981)

Film Perfection

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This movie did give me some interesting thoughts, which I never had before. First of all, this movie gives you a good view on father-daughter relationship and it is hard for a loving father to see when his loving daughter grows up and starts giving her attention to another man. There is an interesting scene when Jade is sitting on her father's lap and a minute later she goes to her boyfriend. **A father always hopes that his girl's boyfriend will love her as much as he loves her.** It's hard to believe that Jade still loves David after knowing all the truth (about the house and the father), but I guess love stories like this one do happen in real life. I watched this movie while on Tom Cruise marathon and Tom Cruise in this movie is only around 20 seconds, but it was still an interesting movie overall.

Here's one of the unforgettable 80's films, heralded by it's title song. EL is a beautifully shot and acted film, of a boundless love, between two late teens, (Shields and Hewitt, perfectly paired) which when sabotaged by outside parties, heads on a path of damage and destruction, which weighs heavily on Hewitt's character. He becomes unhinged, by the vetoing of him from Shield's family, after things really start to heat up. Besides an undeniable and explosive passion, there are other contributing factors here, with exams and finals coming up. Don Murray as Shield's father was a standout here, where Shirley Knight as the mother who was really good, but it was Murray, who added spice. Knight's open Mother character, was one I really liked though. As you'll see, they aren't your typical family, but they're one you like to be part off. James Spader as the protective and pushy son, who was the catalyst you'll see, was fun to watch. You really feel for Hewitt's character during his breakdown, with emotionally powered moments, this, the strongest section of story. But it's hard to really feel anything for Shield's character until her return, after a long absence of screen time, as really, you hardly learn much about her character, and not that much more in the after. Nearing it's end, there were some well up tear moments, where soon you have a sudden, yet, unsatisfactory, but thought provoking ending, in this Zeffereli's 80 masterpiece. One movie that will make you ponder, well after the curtains, have come down.

After my look back at Sean Connery's Filmography, I have decided to do one Tom Cruise.Endless Love (1981)Plot In A Paragraph: David A high school student's love for a 15-year-old girl is thwarted by parental disapproval.I used to enjoy this movie, however after reading the book in the early 90's. I realised how they messed it up, and it's a pretty poor movie. I think the biggest mistake was moving the movie into chronological order. The book begins with David, committing an act that will end all of his happiness, as a result of this, David is sent into a mental institution, where he remembers, with full grief, the great love of his life. The movie seriously loses something by changing this, and the less said about the ending the better. For me, Brooke Shields is the best thing in the movie, I think Martin Hewitt is awfully miscast, despite being a talented actor. As Tom Cruise, he has a small role, but it's an important one, as it's his character that puts the idea in the head of the main character to do something, that starts a tragic chain of events. It's worth noting this character was not in the book Endless Love grossed £31 million at the domestic box office (more then Escape From New York, An American Werewolf in London and both of Sly's offerings Nighthawks and Escape To Victory) to end the year the 22nd highest grossing movie of 1981.

I never saw 'Endless Love' when it came out, and not when it came to video, and then to DVD, and then to streaming. Now it is offered by amazon Prime so I can see it on amazon instant video. In the years since this movie came out, it probably aged badly. Sex in movies got raunchier. Now, watching this movie, the erotic scenes seem sweet in comparison. And, after all, this is Brooke Shields naked with one of the best-looking naked men on the planet - Martin Hewitt. He looks like a younger and fresher and more perfect Mark Ruffalo. All I can think when I watch him watch a woman is: male hormones! I enjoyed watching this movie for the first time, being older, having all that distance from today and the time the movie was made (1981). I feel like the hippie parents were very similar to parents of my high school acquaintance. Most of all, I remember how young love is different from older love - not better, not worse, just different. The movie showed this. The acting is far from 'wooden.' All of these actors have gone on to other (sometimes better) things. What a treat to be able to see they so young, fresh, and skilled in these roles.