Sinners' Ryan Coogler Revealed His Guilty Pleasure Movie - And His Fans Are Dying | Sorry Not Sorry

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners broke the Academy Award record for most nominated film, with his prohibition vampire movie raking in an eye-watering 16 nominations. On the night itself, it picked up four wins, including the coveted Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan and Best Original Screenplay for Coogler. It is a testament to both the film and the talents of its director, but given Coogler’s favourite guilty pleasure - A Walk to Remember - Sinners could have been a very different film. 

WATCH: Michael B. Jordan Can't Stop Laughing At Ryan Coogler's Guilty Pleasure Movie

Speaking to JustWatch alongside Sinners’ Oscar-winning leading man, Coogler revealed his love of A Walk to Remember to a sea of laughter. After fighting back his laughter, Jordan told Coogler to “just put your soul out there.” Undeterred, Coogler explained, “I was in high school”, and he refused to let the ridicule from those around him shame him, simply stating, “I don’t give a f*** no more.”

Quite how the mind behind Sinners is so entranced by A Walk to Remember is more than a little hard to understand, with the two movies being very different from one another. Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember charts the relationship between Shane West’s teenage rebel without a cause and Mandy Moore’s minister's daughter. 

A Walk to Remember follows the typical Nicholas Sparks formula and is a sweeping romantic drama, but one with a sting in its tale. An unexpected schmaltzy weepy selection, it could not be further from the sensual and seductive Sinners that oozes charm, charisma, and killer music. Despite their differences, though, it is Coogler who connects the two. 

A Walk To Remember Rightly Remains A Feel-Sad Favourite 

So exactly why does Ryan Coogler have such a soft spot for A Walk to Remember? He shared during the chat that it “was very useful on a home day.” We all had those movies we’d veg in front of as teenagers, particularly when feeling under the weather, and the nostalgic bonds that are forged with these films can be fierce. So fierce in fact, that much like Coogler, you can remain cool and impassioned as those around you collapse into giggles. But what catharsis can A Walk to Remember bring?

Well, in typical Nicholas Sparks tradition, A Walk to Remember is a film that requires at least one box of tissues to watch. Rather than being a happy coming-of-age romance that leaves the viewer with a big grin on their face, this one comes with a side of devastation as one of the pairings is hiding a cancer diagnosis. 

Watching two people meant for one another fall in love is beautiful to see and provides comfort to us all, but then to have them wrenched apart is utterly heartbreaking. Despite these sad feelings, the works of Nicholas Sparks remain a popular source of inspiration for filmmakers. Everyone needs a good cry sometimes, and films such as A Walk to Remember facilitate an opportunity to do just that.

Why To Watch A Walk To Remember (And What To Watch After)

Given how vastly different A Walk to Remember is from all of Ryan Coogler’s movies, it has to be watched to try to unpick the director’s fascinating mind. Is it simply that he imprinted on the film as a teenager? Or has something deeper within the text subconsciously inspired his work? 

One could argue that A Walk to Remember’s proclivity for tragedy has had an impact on Coogler’s work, or at least some of the relationship dynamics within Sinners, as not everyone gets the happy ending they deserve. 

If you make it through A Walk to Remember with liquid left inside you, then you can always take your chances with some other Nicholas Sparks adaptations. One of his lesser remembered works is Safe Haven. The story follows Julianne Hough’s Katie as she moves to the North Carolina coast to escape her former life. Shrouded in mystery, Katie garners the attention of widower Alex (played by Josh Duhamel), but her violent past rears its head, threatening to break them up. The kicker in Safe Haven comes via the reveal of one of Katie’s new friends… 

Having survived Safe Haven and A Walk to Remember, the next Sparks adaptation to tackle is the iconic The Notebook, whose potency for emotional distress is infamous; settle in and watch as Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling fall in love, only for a terrible illness to rip them apart. In terms of the feel-sad movie, The Notebook takes the crown, and having an IV drip of fluids to hand when watching is advisable. You have been warned.