“LOVE EVERLASTING” — 1½ stars — Lucky Blue Smith, Christie Burke, Emily Procter, Austin Grant, Shawn Stevens; not rated, probable PG-13 rating for violence, mild profanity and sexual content; select Megaplex Theatres
“Love Everlasting” was partially filmed in Utah and features Utah actor Lucky Blue Smith in one of its lead roles. Unfortunately, there’s not much more to recommend director Rob Diamond’s star-crossed romance to audiences, local or no.
Diamond’s effort, which he both wrote and directed, brings together a pair of small-town outcasts. Bridger (Smith) is a gangly bleach-blond high school senior on the run with his mother, Helen (Emily Procter), from the latest in her string of loser boyfriends. Their cross-country road trip to the West Coast makes it as far as rural Utah before their truck literally bursts into flames on the side of the road.
Here they meet Will (Shawn Stevens), a tow truck operator who happens to have an available camper in his yard, a teenage daughter named Clover (Christie Burke) about Bridger’s age and a connection to a local diner where Helen can get a job waiting tables. Clover is pretty shy and seems to have a troubled past, but Bridger and Helen decide Will’s offer is too good to pass up.
The only fly in this picture-perfect ointment is Bo (Austin R. Grant), the school bully who targets Bridger mere moments upon his arrival at the local high school. Bo seems to resent Bridger’s connection to Clover, who also draws his rage, even though technically she was the victim in the alcohol-fueled accidental shooting that cost him his college football dreams.
But even in this case, Bridger and Clover have a bearded shop teacher named Roman (Landon Henneman) to run interference. Roman always seems to be in the right place at the right time, whether fending off Bo’s hallway assaults or giving Bridger a ride to school because Clover’s friend-zoned driver Albert (Garet Allen) is too jealous to let the new kid join the carpool.
These surface tensions are secondary to the emerging story of Bridger’s mysterious medical condition, which eventually helps him bond with Clover but also steers “Love Everlasting” into a Nicholas Sparks-style ending that strains for romanticism but feels hollow. Too often, the evolution of Bridger and Clover’s relationship and plot points like the pair’s high school graduation feel rushed, connecting scenes that haven’t earned their emotional weight with numerous musical interludes to hustle the story along.
There are some good ideas floating around this film, and cinematographer Lars Lindstrom has shot many scenes in gorgeous lighting. The film's theme of outcasts finding love has some potential, but there just isn’t enough conflict to keep things interesting, and too often Diamond’s film trips up on the fundamentals. Awkward dialogue and stiff delivery make many scenes drag and too many elements of the story feel contrived, which results in a small town where everyone over 18 is quick to give you shelter and employment at the drop of a hat, but everyone under 18 is happy to laugh at you mercilessly when the bully pushes you over at school.
With “Fifty Shades Darker” occupying the same box office, hopeful couples may find their best Valentine’s Day movie options in their Netflix accounts this year. Sadly, “Love Everlasting” just can’t justify the full ticket price.
“Love Everlasting” is not rated but would have a probable PG-13 rating for violence, mild profanity and sexual content; running time: 93 minutes.
Joshua Terry is a freelance writer and photographer who teaches English composition for Weber State University. You can find more of his movie reviews on YouTube.