The Vow

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.

Basically, if you're a romantic drama type, you'll love this movie. I'm NOT a romantic drama type, and I still enjoyed it immensely. The shining star, no pun intended, for me was Channing Tatum. He added so much subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, comedy to the movie. The ending was also not expected but I was satisfied with it. That said though, I could have easily watched another 30 minutes of this. No one was ready for it to end and that's a good sign. The plot is what it is, being based on a true story and all. It felt like the screenwriters and director wanted to stay close to the actual events and it worked. I would have paid for this and been happy. Romance drama fans will be pleased. Non romance drama fans will be pleased.

In Chicago, Paige (Rachel McAdams) and Leo (Channing Tatum) have just married and they are in love for each other. In a snowing night, they have a car accident and Paige has a serious head injury and stays in coma. When she awakes, she has partial recollection of her life until five years ago and she does not recognize Leo.

Her estranged parents Rita (Jessica Lange) and Bill Thornton (Sam Neill) use the unusual situation to bring Paige back home. Leo decides to woo her again to have his wife back, but her ex-fiancé Jeremy (Scott Speedman) is courting Paige and she does not know why she had broken with him.

"The Vow" is a cute movie based on a true story. The cast is great, with Jessica Lange, Sam Neill and Scott Speedman in supporting roles. The charming Rachel McAdams performs a character that had completely changed her personality from a silly Valley girl dominated by her wealthy parents to a cool artist, but after the accident she returns to her previous behavior; however the role of Leo deserved a better actor. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Para Sempre" ("Forever")

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 Vow was made for the Valentine's Day audience. As I went into this movie on the evening of February 14th, the theatre was packed with couples. This movie gave them exactly what they paid for. There were plenty of cute moments that make you say, "ahhhhhh." There strange nostalgic moments that makes you realize exactly how much time Rachel McAdams forgot (wait for the moment when she turns to Channing Tatum and asks him who the President of the United States is).

This movie delivered for the audience at large. But several problems persist. For such a unique perspective on memory loss, The Vow falls into the flow of the average romantic comedy. As the core of the storyline develops (which strangely reminds me of Terri Schiavo), I can't help but feel like I have seen this before. There were so many interesting possibilities that a memory-loss movie could pursue. Instead, the writing team (which is known for big star movies such as He's Just Not That Into You and Valentine's Day) decides to take the safe route. The writing team stops this movie from being great.

Despite its problems, The Vow relies heavily on its actors. With Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill, and Scott Speedman (who I still see as the romantic interest from the TV hit "Felicity), relying so heavily on your actors is perfectly alright. Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum have a chemistry that I didn't expect. This chemistry drives the storyline forwards and leads to several dramatic and hilarious scenes that will surprise you.

I need to make a note about movies that are "Based on a True Story." It's difficult to take these story lines at face value. By basing a story on true events, the producers are hoping that you will not look too far into the plausibility of the situation. When you compare the movie with the true events, however, the differences are immense. Namely, the movie makes the crash result in one problem: the loss of several years of memories. In reality, the woman what badly hurt and also suffered from severe short term memory loss. The possibility of losing several years of memories and not haven't any other physical side-effects (aside form a tiny scar around her eyes) is almost entirely impossible.

The Vow is cute enough to enjoy at face-value. If you are looking for a movie to simply enjoy and not think too deeply, this is the movie for you. 2012 has been an awful year for Romantic Comedies. One for the Money was dreadful. This Means War promises to be almost as bad. If you are pining for a romantic comedy, this will fill your appetite until the first great one of the year is released. Looking over the list of romantic comedies to be released, however, there isn't much. My money is on the new American Pie movie.