I wasn't sure if I wanted to write a review for this movie. It's certainly not a bad film, and I enjoyed watching it, but it did not have the impact on me similar films have had. What ultimately made me decide to write this review were the lingering feelings of frustration/incompleteness due to some specific elements of the story.

First, I think most everything in the film was very well done. You can't really dislike the characters or the overarching storyline, and this is a movie that does the feelings of youth real justice. But this is also one of those movies where I think the adult versions don't have as strong of an impact as the teen versions, and it hurts the story in some ways. The adult versions are more compelling here then some other films of this theme that I've seen, but you do still ultimately feel a stronger pull towards their younger counterparts. I also have some frustration with the ending, when the movie takes what could have been a very realistic life situation and dramatizes it more than is necessary. The male lead's mother becomes very ill towards the end of his time in high school, and he has to quit his plans for University to go to work in order to care for her and pay her hospital bills. It's a very heartbreaking turn of events, and you feel incredibly sad for him. But instead of treating this with a more delicate and thoughtful and realistic approach, the writers chose to use it as a means to create some melodrama for the adult versions which I think was neither earned nor suitable for the story.

I do think this is a sweet film, and it does it's genre and theme well. I'm also pretty sure the ending will not be as frustrating for other viewers as it was for me, so if you enjoy this genre/theme of story, then this is a good film to check out. You may find you like the ending more than I did.