Find something else to see this Valentine’s Day

Sitting in the theater awaiting the start of the Valentine’s Day movie “Endless Love,” it became clear to me that it would certainly be no blockbuster. The majority of seats remained empty, while usually people wait in lines for hours and have to push their way in to get a seat at the free pre-screenings of highly anticipated movies, designed for members of the press and promotional ticket winners.

“Endless Love” didn’t have that buzz, and after seeing it, I know that it didn’t attract larger crowds for a good reason.

There were perhaps three men present, total, probably dragged in by their girlfriends or wives.

While I will fully acknowledge that I love a good chick flick every once in a while, I have to say this isn’t one that I would be excited to see again, such as the great movies “The Notebook” or “Dirty Dancing.”

This “Endless Love” is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name. How original: Is it really that hard to come up with a new love story and slap a different name on it? Apparently so.

The film features two teenagers the summer after they graduate high school. Actor Alex Pettyfer plays “David Elliot” and actress Gabriella Wilde plays “Jade Butterfield.” They make an interesting pair with good on-screen chemistry.

But, individually, David was a character worth rooting for (and looking at), while Jade’s “good girl” act was stripped away (literally) at the first sign of attention from a boy. Jade’s character seemed extremely phony in the beginning, and when she found her own voice towards the end, she hardly became any more likable.

The movie is full of cliché plot and story lines: the overprotective father trying to protect his only daughter after experiencing the loss of a son; the young lovebirds so caught up in their love they spend every moment of the summer by each other’s side; the pretty girl in high school that has everything going for her, yet is still shunned by her peers; and the snobby ex-girlfriend who does everything she can to be a villain to the new girl in her ex’s life.

Sound familiar? You’ve probably heard at least one of these storylines in a love story you’ve seen over the years.

What’s different about this movie is that while Jade is beautiful and would seem like she would have tons of friends, the reason she doesn’t is explained by the loss of her big brother, something her whole family is still trying to recover from. Their backstory gives the characters something that interests the audience.

Jade is portrayed as a girl trying to find her way out of a dark spot in her life, and that’s when she finds David, who is also overcoming his own trials from the past. He helps her become herself again at just the right time.

The real conflict in the story line came from Jade’s close relationship with her father, who has more than one problem with the new man in her life. A medical doctor, of course he expects his 17-year-old daughter to blindly follow in his footsteps.

While Jade spent most of her high school years with her nose in a book and seems to be very bright, the expectations her father has of her at 17 are completely unrealistic, even for a movie. Before she even enters her freshman year of college, she is expected to start medical internships and prepare for medical school. It bothered me that she was held to such high standards when she wasn’t even of legal age yet. He couldn’t handle the thought that her daughter may choose love over having a career as a doctor.

What made the conflict even worse were his schemes to turn his daughter against David. The audience certainly grows to hate him as a person, especially seeing the harm he is causing his surviving children and wife because of his inability to come to terms with his own pain over losing a son. In the end, there is only a small sense of redemption, but I think he remains the character you will love to hate.

Overall, I think my favorite parts of the film were the true spirit of young love and adventure that it captured, mixed with some funny moments. The couple truly makes the most of their last summer after high school, and Jade begins living her life like she should have been. (Although I don’t believe this redeems her annoying character traits, including the fakey “Daddy’s little girl”and “good-girl-turned-bad-overnight” acts. Her character just isn’t believable.)

The movie’s funny moments — a true bright spot among all the intensity and emotions — came from the character of Dayo Okeniyi, who plays David’s best friend, “Mace.” Mace is the typical sidekick who always has something witty or hilarious to say, and occasionally gets David in trouble. He was a nice change-up to the typical, more boring characters of love movies.

I also loved the soundtrack. The dancing montages, fun in the sun, and love scenes were accompanied by music that set that tone perfectly. Featuring songs by Tegan and Sara and Franz Ferdinand, it’s a soundtrack worth a listen.

While I believe this movie might be enjoyable for some who have low love-movie standards, I’m not sure I would still think so if I had to pay $10-plus to see it in theaters on Valentine’s Day. Save yourself some money and frustration and wait until it’s available through RedBox, or even better, Netflix (because it should be there in no time).

“Endless Love” opens everywhere today.