A Walk To Remember: Movie Analysis

The Good and The Bad

Patrick Verona from “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999) and Landon Carter from “A Walk to Remember” (2002) are a few of the movie bad boys who have managed to have a change of heart after meeting girls who changed their lives. These movie bad boys have captured the hearts of their onscreen lovers and the hearts of many viewers. The explanation for the attraction and the dating of bad boys are associated to certain psychosocial concepts namely the Dark Triad Personalities, Game Changer Concept, Familiarity Concept and Alpha Concept.

The term “bad boy”, as defined in Oxford Dictionaries, refers to “a man who does not conform to approved standards of behavior, especially in a particular sphere of activity.” Bad can be defined by the way they react towards others, the way they present themselves, how they act, how they think and what they do. Despite the fact that they may not be conforming to such socially accepted

The “Game Changer” psychosocial concept explains that the need a female feels to win the heart of the bad boy and eventually change his ways and perspectives on life. This may involve changing his social practices and views on relationships, making him conform to social norms and the like. According to an online article written by Kelly Alto (2014) entitled “Psychology of Love: Why Girls Chase After Bad Boys”, women sometimes do not want to date the bad boys but want to be the one who changes them. Another article entitled “4 Reasons Women are Attracted to ‘Bad Boys’” (2012), suggests that such saving or changing of this “bad boy” can serve as an ego-boost for the female. Examples of the application and representation of this concept, as seen in films, are Patrick Verona becoming a more respectful and sweet gentleman in “10 Things I Hate About You” as well as Kenji Del Rosario’s character becoming more serious and less of a player in “She’s Dating the