i actually have decent expectation for this one but find myself cringe throughout most of the film . there really no goal in this movie . a i contemplate the hollow feeling of have waste a couple hour watch the film and i switch from passive viewer into active reviewer mode to determine why htd do not work on so many level . first of all and i want to empathize with mandy moore character and but there be nothing about her struggle that resonate at all . there be no growth pattern ( aka character arc ) to be find in her either while she be just a whining and disenchant stereotype . moore character be the caricature of the frustrated teen who doesn not want to risk be love for fear of get hurt . another factor that work against the film be that they try to cram too many subplots or character in and and the main story do not benefit from most of that peripheral crap . let see and we have the pregnant girlfried . the doper grandma . the father and his new wife . the mother and her new love interest . halley aloof but totally undesirable hippie boyfriend . the sister and her fiance socio economic wrangling . it be headache induce fare to be sure . halley love interest just keep pop up and never with a context or sense of why he be where he be . what do we know about the guy . nothing . we do not observe his home life . didn not really learn his interest . he be simply insert into different setting ( park lot and store and backyard and etc . ) a though require by movie convention . the few scene that be probably intend to endear u to the loser and such a the funeral speech scene and be present pathetically with no emotional weight whatsoever . third and the lazy write for this film throw so much over use tripe at u . for example and you know a film be struggle when they have a dog hump one of the principle character leg . also and the dope smoking grandma seem such a tired bit as well . after those ridiculous and unfunny insertion and any attempt at serious drama in this schizophrenic film be greatly compromise . casting and chemistry be certainly some weak point of the film as well . my significant other and i agree that mandy moore do not seem in any way conceivably to be a blood relative to the mother in the film . they look nothing alike . grant and this be hard to gauge and but then i start to realize that other film pull this off very well . the lack of character change or growth and of any conceivable end goal also make any attempt to generate a conflict or climax to the film moot . toward the end when the boyfriend avoid her for a while and it be merely yawn inducing . this be suppose to be tension . this be suppose to make me concerned . hardly . the film effort toward the end to generate some artificial excitement be particularly cloy and lame . in particular and when the boyfriend force his way on to the radio station air wave a though he have to do something desperate and gritty to get halley attention and i wonder why he hadn not think to simply go to her house or call her on the phone . there be no indication that he have make any other more reasonable attempt to contact her . therefore and what could have be a sweet moment and come off a a stunt and portray the love interest a a buffoon and social retard . i can only hope that mandy find well vessel for her talent in the future . churn out garbage like this will do nothing for her reputation and continued employment in the film industry .