Je te promets

When I went with my two friends to see this movie, I thought we were in for a ladies night out and a teary chick flick. I was pleasantly surprised. The drama and dialog were very believable and realistic, and it was pleasingly funny in places. The fact that the setting was clearly Chicago without any effort to try and hide street signs and restaurant placards only added to the charm and believability of the movie. Quickly into the film I was wishing I was friends with this couple and could hang out with them and be part of their lives. When the credits started rolling I desired our relationship to continue. O.k. maybe I had a couple of tears, but I would definitely see this movie again and take my husband. After seeing the number of men in the audience who enjoyed it, I think he would feel comfortable attending and glad that he went.

Throughly enjoyable...except for the f*rt gag...And the f*rt gag is worth mentioning because it was foul.

Otherwise, switch off your brain and enjoy the gorgeous Channing Tatum laugh, cry and bare his beautiful buns -- and all in the name of love.

It's a film that doesn't bear much examination. It's a chick flick with a dumb heroine (why are they always artists???) who wouldn't know love unless it smacked her in the gob...which it eventually does.

The reveal where we find out why she originally changed so radically is like: Oh, get over yourself, girlfriend! The punishment hardly fits the crime...unless you're 12.

But who cares. It's a fairytale. And for me it worked.

While reading up on "The Vow", I learned that professional reviewers didn't particularly care for this film. The same can be said for many of the IMDb reviews. While I would disagree, since I really enjoyed the film, I can certainly understand some of the dislike. For folks wanting a traditional romantic film, "The Vow" isn't exactly a date movie. A traditional date film has a formula--including a happy ending. And, oddly, the film ends on a hopeful but vague note--disappointing those needing the happy finale.

In addition to reading up on the reviews, I also looked into the story of Kimand Krickitt Carpenter--the couple whose real life story inspired this film. I say inspires because so much of the film is fictional and the religious faith of the Carpenters was omitted in "The Vow". It's sad, as although you don't want a preachy film, it's odd how in films today there is NO reference to God or almost none and this might have been an interesting addition to the movie.

Now on to the film. The story, if you don't know, is about a newly married couple who are in a terrible traffic accident. Leo (Channing Tatum) is okay but his wife, Paige (Rachel McAdams) is left in a coma. Oddly, when she awakens, she has a strange sort of amnesia where the most recent portion of her life is missing. This means she has no idea who her husband is and their time together is, naturally, quite uncomfortable and awkward. At the same time, Paige's no longer existent relationship with her parents is suddenly given a second chance and they work hard to recapture her love and make her the girl she used to be. What will become of poor Leo?

The two leads, McAdams and Tatum were quite good in the film and easy to watch. The script rather clever and enjoyable. And, overall I have very little negative to say about the film. Well worth seeing--just be forewarned that although there is a lot of romance in the film, it is not at all traditional or what you might expect from such a movie.

Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) have been happily married for 4 years. Then they're in a car accident. They're both fine but Paige has completely lost her memory of the previous years--including meeting Leo, falling in love and marrying him. Leo is determined to help her regain her memory but her nasty parents (Sam Neill and Jessica Lange) don't like him and want her to live with them and let Leo go.

I won't lie--I went to see this to see Tatum's butt shot (which lasts all of 12 seconds). It's worth seeing but so is the movie! It's pretty well-done and I was never bored. The movie never gets too syrupy and doesn't try to force the audience to cry. There are some beautiful shots of Chicago and a good music score. Tatum can't act (everybody knows that) but he still is very good in most of his scenes. McAdams is excellent in her role. Also (even better) is that these two play off each other very well and makes you root for them even more.

On the debit side--Neill and Lange are stuck with the evil parents roles and can do little with them. Even worse is Scott Speedman as an ex-fiancé. He looks terrible and doesn't even try to act. The movie moves unsteadily. Scenes start out of nowhere and seem to end before they're finished (I'm assuming there was a lot of prerelease cutting). Still, I liked it and I'm not ashamed to admit that I broke down crying more than once. If you like chick flicks and rom-coms this is for you. I give it a 7.

The biggest and most difficult test that a lover goes through. This movie is a lesson about loyalty, love and patience. Leo, the hero of this movie, was patient and gave and sacrificed a lot.