Dean Fashing

rip james ransone

I love the choices sean wang made in this film. particularly the ending which really worked on me. it would have been really easy to tie the ending up nicely with the traditional coming-of-age trope. he fumbles the girl at some point in the film, but at the end she forgives him. instead, she completely rejects him. that’s life. eat the punch and keep it moving.  the way the kids interact with each other, especially over social media also hits so close to home. (btw that is easily the worst age to be on social media.) the particular detail that hit home was when chris lies and tells madi that his favorite movie is also *a walk to remember* and he gets nervous when he realizes that it’s a “chick flick.” being that age is terrible because you are terrified of individuality. if presented this situation, a sane adult would simply say “if you like it, who gives a shit that it’s a chick flick.” but at that age, the thought of being looked at as different is enough to have nightmares over.  a common criticism I’ve seen about this movie is that chris is too unlikeable. in my opinion, that makes it better. everyone at that age is unlikeable. you were the same way. maybe not to the exact degree that chris is, but it’s not that far off. kids are assholes. but the unconditional love that chris’s mom shows is what finally makes him see through the bullshit that is adolescence.  love you mom <3