Endless Love

Endless Love is a romantic drama about two teenagers, David and Jade, whose intense relationship draws the disapproval of Jade's parents. When her grades suffer, her father takes strict measures to keep the couple apart, and David's efforts to overturn that decision set off a chain of tragic consequences.

The film was directed by Franco Zeffirelli, released in 1981 between The Champ and Tosca in his filmography, from a screenplay by Judith Rascoe and produced by Dyson Lovell. Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt lead the cast as Jade and David, supported by Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley and Beatrice Straight. Made by Universal Pictures on a budget of around 10 million dollars, it grossed roughly 32 million worldwide, a solid return at the box office.

Reception was less favourable. The film critics' rating came in at 4.7 out of 10 from 19 reviews, while audiences were similarly subdued, with 4.9 on IMDb from around 11,000 votes and 5.7 on TMDB from roughly 258 votes. The two audience scores land close to the critics' figure, so the film drew similar reactions across the board. Its central pairing of young lovers at odds with parental authority echoed thematic territory Zeffirelli had explored more than a decade earlier in Romeo and Juliet.