Your typical Nicholas Sparks plot line, but with a CSI-esque thriller twist. Katie (Julianne Hough) is running away from her haunting past and finds refuge in the small tourist stopover town of Southport. Her sudden arrival catches the attention of the residents of the small town and raises suspicions about her true motives. Although she is closed off, she ultimately begins relationships with two other people: Alex (Josh Duhamel), the widowed owner of the local store, and her neighbour Jo (Colbie Smulders), who acts like a sister as well as a friend. Katie slowly, but surely, begins to fall in love with Alex and bonds with his two children. But her past still haunts her and prevents her from letting her guard down completely.
If you're expecting something brand new and revolutionary in terms of Nicholas Sparks romance, save your time and skip the box office. But if you're looking for a feel good, soppy, romantic film, then this is the flick for you. This film is exactly like all other Sparks films. Two lovers. A dark secret. Lots of making out in the rain. The quintessential Nicholas Sparks trio.You're kidding yourself if you're expecting anything more. But it's time to be honest with ourselves: these are exactly the reasons why we keep coming back to these cheesy films.
I was enough stubborn to believe that this movie could be the next Notebook because of this new "thriller aspect". But sadly it was not. Hough and Duhamel are not convincing enough for me to believe that their characters truly loved each other. Although both have great personalities off screen, on screen the chemistry was nowhere to be found. There was no charisma and no spark (pun intended). They basically were two young, attractive people who acted as a catalyst to entice women and reluctant boyfriends to line up at the box office.
The supporting cast were much more convincing in comparison. Colbie Smulders was warm and friendly, where David Lyons, the antagonist, balanced it out with a necessary harshness. What does it say about me if Lyons, the supposed bad guy, was my favourite character? Or rather, what does it say about this film?
Safe Haven is probably the best Sparks' movie since Dear John. That's not saying much considering the only movies in between were The Last Song and The Lucky One, both of which were pretty weak. I will say, however, that these movies have the ability to catapult careers to great heights, Gosling style, and there's a possibility that Hough and Duhamel could move on to bigger and, hopefully, better things.
Rating: 6/10
Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel. Source: Hollywood Reporter
If you're expecting something brand new and revolutionary in terms of Nicholas Sparks romance, save your time and skip the box office. But if you're looking for a feel good, soppy, romantic film, then this is the flick for you. This film is exactly like all other Sparks films. Two lovers. A dark secret. Lots of making out in the rain. The quintessential Nicholas Sparks trio.You're kidding yourself if you're expecting anything more. But it's time to be honest with ourselves: these are exactly the reasons why we keep coming back to these cheesy films.
I was enough stubborn to believe that this movie could be the next Notebook because of this new "thriller aspect". But sadly it was not. Hough and Duhamel are not convincing enough for me to believe that their characters truly loved each other. Although both have great personalities off screen, on screen the chemistry was nowhere to be found. There was no charisma and no spark (pun intended). They basically were two young, attractive people who acted as a catalyst to entice women and reluctant boyfriends to line up at the box office.
The supporting cast were much more convincing in comparison. Colbie Smulders was warm and friendly, where David Lyons, the antagonist, balanced it out with a necessary harshness. What does it say about me if Lyons, the supposed bad guy, was my favourite character? Or rather, what does it say about this film?
Safe Haven is probably the best Sparks' movie since Dear John. That's not saying much considering the only movies in between were The Last Song and The Lucky One, both of which were pretty weak. I will say, however, that these movies have the ability to catapult careers to great heights, Gosling style, and there's a possibility that Hough and Duhamel could move on to bigger and, hopefully, better things.
Rating: 6/10
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