The Vow (**½)
Directed
by: Michael Sucsy
Starring:
Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Jessica Lange, Sam Neill, Jessica McNamee,
Scott Speedman
Seen:
July 2nd 2012
**½
Out of ****
A
romantic drama inspired by true events, The Vow is neither overly sentimental
nor too bland to watch. The story is rather weighty, but the honesty behind the
story talks of something bigger than all of us at work, making it a sweet date
movie, a light bit of honest entertainment.
Based
on the actual relationship of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, the movie tells of
Paige (McAdams) and Leo (Tatum) Collins (names replaced by perhaps more
movie/studio executive friendly names?). Married for a very short while after
what can only be described as a whirlwind romance, Paige and Leo drive home
after watching a movie together. At a stop sign Paige undoes her seatbelt to
reach Leo for an affectionate kiss, but at that very moment a truck ploughs
into their car and they are both rushed to the emergency room.
When
they wake up Leo can’t wait to see Paige, but tragedy strikes as Paige has
suffered total memory loss regarding their entire relationship. Before Leo,
Paige was a completely different person, what some would call a repressed
person, living the sensible life, the life her parents wanted for her, and Leo
set her free into a beautiful bohemian lifestyle. Her parents (Neill and Lange)
show up at the hospital, and as luck would have it they have never met Leo, and
Leo only barely gets Paige to come home with him. Adapting again proves very
difficult for Paige, and she finds many temptations to go back to her old life
and her old fiancé Jeremy (Speedman). Leo is determined to win back the love of
his life however, even when he is faced with formidable obstacles in the form
of and ex-fiancé and a very protective father-in-law.
The
movie is sweet without really ever becoming cumbersome, and McAdams and Tatum
does have some great chemistry. The contrasting lives of old and new Paige are
effectively played off against one another, and for some moments during the
movie the viewer can only root for the two to end up together, as it does not
seem as clear-cut as it does in some romantic dramas/comedies that it will
actually happen (even though you know deep down it will).
The
Vow is a sweet date movie, but while it is a heartfelt story, I don’t think it
is very memorable or substantial beyond the moment of now. For what it is
intended to be, it does the job admirably, and that is more than enough for
almost anyone who will see it.
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