Endless Love remains endlessly boring

By Krystal Lau,
Bluedevilhub.com Staff–

You’ve all heard it before- rich girl falls in love with poor boy but relationship is temporarily jeopardized by overprotective family. What’s different about Endless Love- almost nothing.

The film opens in theaters on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, starring Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde. Set in idyllic Georgia against the constant backdrop of a serene lake, this dramatic romance’s scenery seems to entice more than the characters’ chemistry.

Jade Butterfield, played by Wilde, portrays a sheltered idealistic youth, waiting for some noble boy to pop open her privileged bubble and show her the world outside of her father’s overbearing arms. Luckily, such a man arrives just in time before she leaves for Brown University in the form of uncharismatic David Axelrod, played by Pettyfer.

The two frolic around in a series of contrived love scenes, the montage just long enough for the audience to focus in on the couple’s distinct lack of emotional attraction. Falling in love takes a few hackneyed lines and boom; the director has decided they’ve reached the inseparable-for-life stage.

The movie is set to the repetitive lines of various humdrum pop songs, which at best can lure the audience into a stupor. To make the film more artificial than it already is, every scene must be interspaced by headshots of love-struck Jade bewilderingly staring at the camera and flipping her hair in a gesture reminiscent of a Pantene commercial.

“Let’s be young and dumb for this night,” Jade whispers to David during one party. But the impression left is “let’s be dumb forever until we’re not young.” The two go through their summer of love with barely any reason or plot, hastily scraping together some sort of purpose for the audience’s sake.

Apart from the model homes backdrop sprung from the pages of Architecture’s Digest, the only redeeming quality is in the authenticity of Jade’s father, Hugh Butterfield. Played by Bruce Greenwood, he is able to demonstrate the true anger of his character, but without allowing the viewer to feel any empathy towards Hugh. Unable to sympathize with his character, it is very easy to lose interest quickly.

The film progresses with the usual turn of events that causes for some weak drama and mild upsets. By the end of too many clichéd love sequences, not even the actors seem to believe what their characters are attempting to say.

Find the movie times here.