Review of Love Story (2011) by Rob S — 13 Jan 2016

Oliver Barrett IV comes from a rich family but lacks confidence in his intelligence even though he excels in school. Jenny comes from a poor family but is full of personality and intelligence and is very blunt with people. This is Love Story, and it's a good one at that.

The film doesn't hold back. It throws us into the focus of the film in the very first scene when Oliver is arguing with the school librarian, who happens to be none other than Jenny. They are an odd match since Jenny pressures him into buying her coffee with the attitude that she gives him (and he returns the attitude). They do begin to flirt though pretty quickly; Oliver asks her why she wanted him to ask her out to which she responds playfully "I like your BODY.".

The conflict within the film stems from Oliver's father (Oliver III) being overly concerned with his son's life. He gives advice for what his son should do, but Oliver sees this as commanding him. Oliver Barrett III is basically the reason Oliver attends Harvard, he has connections (and when he brings this up Oliver feels insulted) and wants Oliver to maintain status in the upper class. With Oliver set to marry the daughter of a baker, this proves to be a great problem with his father.

It's interesting to wonder which relationship drives this film the most: the relationship Oliver has with Jenny, or the relationship he has with his father. The best scenes of the film prove to be when Oliver is conflicted with his father's presence in his life. These scenes prove to be well-acted by Ryan O'Neal. These scenes are heartbreaking, especially since one of them involves Jenny being on the phone with Oliver's father just a few feet away from where Oliver is sitting.

The source of conflict proves to be very interesting for a romance story. However, it isn't difficult to notice how cheesy the film is at certain parts. The best line of the film is uttered twice in the movie, and while it is good it honestly also sounds like it comes from a Valentine's Day greeting card. In this sense, the acting in the film heavily outweighs the writing.

This film may prove to be cheesy at times, but overall it is a very engaging love story which makes one question the importance of relationships and forgiveness. It is not the most entertaining of films, but it gets its themes across very well.

3.0/4.0.