Mandy Moore Effect: Movies

Tagline: Rule #1, there are no rules

Official Description from Amazon: Halley is a young high school student who is disillusioned with love after seeing the many dysfunctional relationships around her. Her parents are now divorced and her father has a new young girlfriend she doesn't care for too much. Her mother is now always alone; and her sister is so overwhelmed by her upcoming wedding that she barely exists the house anymore. On top of that, the shallowness of all the girls and guys at her school convinces Halley that finding true love is impossible. A tragic accident, however, leads her to meeting Macon, and suddenly Halley finds that true love can occur under unusual circumstances.

Mandy Moore's Role: Honestly, there are much better movies in the world than this one, but it is a chance to see Mandy in a bit of a darker role. Mandy plays Halley Martin, a teenage girl, whose view of love is tarnished by her family (especially her father and sister) and her peers. This role is a bit different from her previous roles (Jamie Sullivan and Lisa) simply because those two characters always had a confidence about their own meaning of love. Halley Martin however, is a girl who isn’t so sure about it and must somehow learn how to regain her trust in true love. Halley isn't afraid to speak her mind, but she still has so much to learn. That is where the movie starts to settle in. Just when you think Halley's morale is so low that she can't possibly go back (her friend's tragedy), she meets this new guy, Macon (Trent Ford). Macon and Halley "surprisingly" share very similar views on love and the two form an interesting bond. Although their initial partnership was strange at first, Halley and Macon began to develop a comfort zone with each other. Just when things seem like they're falling into place, Macon and Halley are involved in a car accident, and when it seems Macon initially abandons Halley, she begins to reevaluate their relationship, wondering if she too was a victim of love. Through this trying relationship, Halley and Macon take bits and pieces from each other and ultimately learn to regain their trust in true love.

Playing Halley Martin was an opportunity for Mandy to grow as an actress. Wanting to explore a different kind of character, one completely unlike herself; Moore decided to explored uncharted territory. It wasn't that good of a movie as a whole, however Mandy's performance definitely proved her versatility as an actress, possibly opening up new opportunities down the road. Her acting was superb, allowing the audience to sympathize with a more real-life character. But sadly, even that couldn't really save the movie from tanking in the box office. But it wasn't because of Mandy.

Quotes

Halley: Some people fall in love, I had to crash into it

Movie Notes

Release only months after Try Seventeen

Mandy cut her hair short because she felt it fit the character more