, in his film debut, had the impossible task of making David sympathetic. Hewitt has the cheekbones of a fallen angel and the eyes of a lost puppy, but his performance is so one-note—intense stare, trembling lip, breathless monologue—that David never reads as "tragic romantic." He reads as a time bomb. When he finally snaps, the audience feels less sorrow and more relief that someone is finally calling the police.
What follows is not a courtship but a possession. David’s love is not gentle; it is a fever. He memorizes her scent, her schedules, her breathing. He climbs trees to watch her window. He lies, manipulates, and eventually burns down a neighbor’s porch to create a "heroic rescue" scenario to be reunited with Jade after her father cruelly separates them. Yes, you read that correctly. The climax of the romance is an act of arson. endless love 1981
The fire spreads. A man nearly dies. David ends up institutionalized. And the film ends not with a kiss, but with a broken boy whispering into a telephone, clinging to the ghost of a love that was never healthy to begin with. Zeffirelli intended a tragedy of obsession. What audiences saw was a how-to guide for stalkers with a crush. Endless Love is a film that lives and dies by its two leads. , in his film debut, had the impossible
But most of all, watch it for the uncomfortable question it leaves you with: Is there a difference between loving someone endlessly and loving someone endlessly ? The film’s answer is a resounding, fiery, tragic yes. What follows is not a courtship but a possession
The disconnect is legendary. People walked out of the theater humming the song and asking, "Wait, was that boy supposed to be romantic or dangerous?" For millions of Americans, the song became the soundtrack to their own genuine, healthy first dances at weddings, blissfully unaware that its source material was about a teenager who needed a psychiatrist and a restraining order. Upon release in July 1981, Endless Love was savaged. Roger Ebert called it "a movie that thinks it's romantic when a young man commits arson to win back his girlfriend." Gene Siskel said it "glorifies sick behavior." Audiences were confused. The film made back its budget but was considered a box office disappointment given the hype surrounding Shields and Zeffirelli.
The song is pure, unadulterated devotion. "My love, there's only you in my life / The only thing that's right."