Review of Endless Love (1981) by Daniel A — 15 Nov 2010

Just like the song which has greatly outlived the movie it was written for, Endless Love is schmaltzy, trite and endlessly unsatisfying.

I can't deny that the two leads, regardless of acting ability, are both very good looking. Shields' fresh-faced beauty is something to behold. Sadly her performance is shrill and whiny, only aiding in the overall hammy aura of the movie. Meanwhile poor Hewitt, whose potential is just about visible through the haze of melodrama, sadly cursed his career with this Razzie-favourite before it had even begun. Double Oscar nominee Shirley Knight is another disappointment as the aging mother whose seduction routine is both disturbing and not even remotely believable; Mrs. Robinson she ain't! However keep your eyes peeled for the big screen debut of Tom Cruise, his lone scene sees him wearing nothing but a pair of barely-there denim shorts and tube socks. This at least prevents the movie from being an entire waste of time.

Regarding story, the plot is all over the place. For scenes nothing happens but sex and turgid dialogue about undying love, then out of nowhere the protagonist is in a psych-ward for arson. The further the plot developed, the more I found myself wondering 'why the hell am I watching this?'.

Technically the film is also pretty weak. Zeffirelli's heavy-handed direction only emphasises the nauseating melodrama, while the score is essentially just a hundred instrumental variations of the title track. Talk about laying it on thick.

Universally badly acted, incredibly cheesy, and so overly dramatic that at times the only suitable reaction is to laugh; Endless Love is a terrible movie.