Endless Love (1981)
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A forbidden romance between two teenagers spirals into a series of tragic events after a fire leads to a legal and personal separation.
The story
In suburban Chicago, 15-year-old Jade Butterfield and 17-year-old David Axelrod develop an all-consuming and passionate relationship. While Jade's bohemian family is open, David's wealthy parents are indifferent to his life. Their trysts begin to negatively impact Jade's grades and sleep. After Jade is caught trying to steal a sleeping pill, her father demands David stop seeing her. Devastated, David eventually sets a fire on the Butterfields' porch, leading to his arrest and a court order forbidding him from contacting Jade.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In suburban Chicago, 15-year-old Jade Butterfield and 17-year-old David Axelrod fall in love. Their passionate relationship is discovered by Jade's mother, who begins living vicariously through them, while her husband Hugh watches with unease. After Jade is caught stealing sleeping pills, Hugh demands David stop seeing her. David, feeling betrayed, sets fire to the Butterfields' porch. He evacuates the family but is arrested and convicted of second-degree arson, sentenced to five years' probation and a stay in a mental hospital with a no-contact order. David continues to write letters to Jade, which she never receives. After his release, David discovers Jade is at the University of Vermont. He attempts to reach her but encounters Hugh, who is killed in a car accident during a chase. David eventually finds Jade in a hotel; they reconcile briefly before Keith and Ingrid reveal David's role in the accident. David is arrested for brawling and sent to state prison. From his cell, David sees Jade approach the prison to visit him.
- First release year
- 1981
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Franco Zeffirelli
- Writers
- Judith Rascoe · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Brooke Shields; Martin Hewitt; Shirley Knight; Don Murray; Richard Kiley; Penelope Milford; Beatrice Straight
- Genres
- romantic drama; coming-of-age drama
- Themes
- forbidden love; obsession; dysfunctional family dynamics
- Tone and mood
- romantic; tragic; melodramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; romance; arson; prison
- Source material / true-story basis
- Endless Love by Scott Spencer (1979)
- Reception
- The film received mostly negative reviews and was criticized for being an unfavored adaptation of the novel, though it was a box office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 26% · review count: 19
- Awards and nominations
- Best Original Song · Academy Award · nomination; Best Original Song · Golden Globe Award · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film marks the debuts of James Spader and Tom Cruise.; The film was originally submitted to the MPAA with an X rating.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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