Before A Walk to Remember began, there was a small catfight in the back row of the theater between some high school girls over who got to sit next to the cutest boy in the group.

Ah, high school . . .

As I reminded myself to give-up reviewing PG-rated movies, I thought this little tiff might be the most memorable part of my movie-going experience. I was wrong -- the film itself was quite memorable as well.

A Walk to Remember, based on the Nicholas Sparks' book of the same title, tells the story of Jamie Sullivan (played by pop-star Mandy Moore). Jamie is the daughter of a minister in a small, rural town in North Carolina. She is the perfect daughter, perfect student; content with her life, meager as it may be. Jamie is by no means the coolest girl in school -- to steal a line from one of my favorite flicks, Cameron Crowe's Say Anything. . ., "She's a brain -- trapped in the body of a game show hostess."

Jamie's world is flipped upside down when she starts spending time with Landon Carter (Shane West), the town's bad boy. Landon and Jamie suddenly find themselves in the same social circles when Landon is forced to participate in extracurricular activities as punishment for his latest stunt.

What appears to be the story of a cute high school romance where the dorky girl and the cool guy hookup, turns hard-core drama after the film's first hour. The film, tagged a romantic drama, spends the majority of its time with cheesy-romance -- dinner dates, clumsy dancing, first kisses -- coupled with Christian overtones and high school politics.

Then Jamie gets sick, and the story gets dramatic. The focus shifts from Jamie to Landon and the transformation that takes place when the bad boy turns good -- a reflection of their love.

Sound too good to be true? It is, but in Hollywood nothing is too good to be true. And since I believe in full disclosure, I must admit, I totally fell for it. (I even teared-up for the last 45-minutes of the film.)

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- I'm a total sucker for chick flicks. A Walk to Remember is indeed a chick flick in all its PG glory. Only in a PG-rated movie can two high schoolers spend three days "after school" together and suddenly be in love. The story is innocent, endearing and charming, as is it's leading lady, Moore.

West, of the television show Once and Again, has jumpstarted his career as a teen heartthrob with his performance in the film.

-- Reviewed by Jenn Heinold