Both A Walk to Remember and Keith feature similarities in their stories, both scored an over 7 rating on IMDB and both were liked by a lot of guys despite being romantic dramas. As a female viewer and a movie lover, I truly enjoyed them both, and frankly I didn’t notice how similar some things were at first.

It had been a while since I saw A Walk to Remember (which was made in 2002). Of course to say that they are the same movie would be a huge overstatement. So below is the comparison of the two movies, with all their similarities and differences:

Please note that this post includes spoilers for both movies. If you haven’t seen both films, or if you mind spoilers, I recommend reading Keith’s plot summary and review-it doesn’t include spoilers.

And for an easier read, these are the actors playing the characters:

A Walk to Remember                               Keith

Mandy Moore plays Jamie                      Jesse McCartney plays Keith

Shane West plays Landon                        Elisabeth Harnois plays Natalie

 

Similarities:

1)      Both movies tell the love story between a high school girl and a high school boy, and in both movies the characters are seniors. Keith tells the story of Keith (Jesse McCartney) and Natalie while A Walk to Remember makes us root for Landon and Jamie.

 

2)      In both Keith and A Walk to Remember, one of the lead characters has lost his or her mother. In Keith it is Keith. In A Walk to Remember it is Jamie.

 

 

3)      In both films, one of the leading characters has terminal cancer- a fact that doesn’t come out until the couple is already in love. In A Walk to Remember, it is Jamie. In Keith, Keith.

 

4)      In both films, one of the lead characters is a social outcast while the other is a popular student.

 

 

5)      In both movies, the social outcast changes the popular kid’s outlook on life and love.

 

 

6)      In both movies, the sick characters die, and we are not shown their death on the screen. We are however shown how the lives of the other characters turned out afterwards.

7)      In both films, the popular doesn’t seem to like or notice the outcast much. Both popular characters also hide the fact that they are hanging out from their friends at first. However once they realize they actually love the other person, they don’t care about anyone’s reaction.

 

8)      In both movies the outcast doesn’t care about what the rest of the world thinks about them.

 

 

9)      In both films, actors are older their characters. Jesse McCartney was 21 when he played the 17-year-old Keith. 17-year-old Nat was played by 29-year-old Elisabeth Harnois.

 

Shane West was 24 when he was playing Landon.

 

10)   In both films friendships are tested as the popular friends don’t like the relationship. However when the sickness situation is revealed, both characters are supported by their previously insensitive and superficial friends.

 

11)   In both films, the healthy character forms a bond with the father of their boyfriend/girlfriend who loses their only child to the sickness.

 

12)   Both film have one famous actress play the mother of one of the characters.  In Keith, Natalie’s mother is played by Dirty Dancing’s Jennifer Grey and in A Walk to Remember, Daryl (Kill Bill) Hannah plays Landon’s mother.

 

 

Differences:

1)      In A Walk to Remember, the girl is the outcast and in Keith it is the boy. A Walk to Remember’s Jamie, however, is religious and she doesn’t do anything other than kissing than Landon. In Keith, Keith and Natalie have sex.

 

2)      While Keith stays away from pretty much everyone except Natalie, Jamie gets along quite well everyone except the popular kids.

 

 

3)      In Keith, Natalie is both popular and a successful student. She is also active at school clubs. In A Walk to Remember, Jamie is the good student who takes part in school plays and clubs. Landon doesn’t care about grades and his future until he falls for Jamie and she makes him realize her potential.

 

Keith, while smart, wants nothing to do with school work and grades.

 

4)      Jamie has a big list of items she wants to do in her life, which includes many areas. Keith’s only aim is to hang with Natalie and get her to fall for him.

 

5)      Jamie doesn’t mention her illness to anyone at school. Keith however has told his teacher (so that he will get what he wants- which is to be partnered with Natalie).

 

 

6)      After a brief shock and annoyance at Jamie’s revelation, Landon shows full sport and Jamie apologizes for keeping it a secret. Keith, however, doesn’t reveal his condition to Natalie, and she finds out by total coincidence.

 

And after she finds out, she wants to be there for him but he doesn’t let her in very easily. He later gives in to Natalie’s persistence and his feelings for her.

 

7)      While Landon acts like the best boyfriend ever, Keith often acts like a jerk after Natalie reveals how she feels for him.

 

8)      Before he started dating Jamie, Landon had already broken with his girlfriend (Lauren German, new Hawaii Five 0’s Lori.

 

In Keith, Natalie keeps dating her boyfriend until she has sex with Keith. She officially breaks up with him when she learns Keith has cancer.

 

9)      In A Walk to Remember, Landon only hangs out with Jamie because he needs her help with his lines at the school play they are both staying in.

 

10)   In Keith, Natalie’s parents are happily married with 2 other kids whereas Landon’s parent’ s are divorced and he is deeply angry with his father (David Lee Smith of The Man from Earth)  for starting another family.

 

 

11)   Landon becomes a much better student after he starts dating Jamie while Natalie can’t concentrate on her lessons.

 

12)   If you haven’t read the Nicholas Sparks book’ A Walk to Remember, it is hard to see Jamie’s sickness coming.

 

With Keith, while we don’t suspect cancer, we are given hints that something is not right as he is seen talking to a guy which seems to be his therapist in the beginning. He also makes it clear that he doesn’t care about the future and has no plans. At one point, Nat finds anti-depressants in his jacket and we’re lead to think that he has mental issues.

 

13)   A Walk to Remember has a more pop feeling to it, especially after Jamie and Landon start dating. Not to mention lead actress Mandy Moore is a singer in real life and sings some of the songs herself. Keith, as a movie, is more indie and alternative in its music taste.

 

14)   A Walk to Remember’s director Adam Shankman  (Hairspray, The Wedding Planner) is more known for his comedies and romantic comedies. He also hasn’t participated in the story-writing. A Walk to Remember was adapted from Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling novel by someone else. In Keith, the screenplay is based on Ron Carlson’s story but it was co-adapted by director Todd Kessler.

I’m sure there is more, but point is that these are two different movies with some parallel story points. They are both enjoyable and touching, and I recommend them both. However I find Keith a bit more realistic and less sugar-coded. Keith is currently rated at 7.5 on IMDB and A Walk to Remember at 7.1.