Vicino a te non ho paura

I thoroughly enjoyed this as I do most Nicholas Sparks adaptions. You basically know what your going to get going in so you can't complain too much. There's star crossed romance, a small North Carolina town, a body off water (usually including a boat ride, a rain storm or at least some kissing in the rain), a demented ex-boyfriend or husband, a kid and/or an older grandma or uncle type person. (Red West in this case) -I remember him from 'Roadhouse', he hasn't aged at all.

This story was more of a drama/thriller than most of Sparks' straight out romances and reminded me very much of that Julia Roberts movie 'Sleeping with the Enemy'. The story follows a woman on the run who starts a new life in a small (North Carolina) town and reluctantly falls for a widowed father. It's suspenseful, full of twists and turns, some mystery and a big twist at the end -which after reading the book I'd been curious if they'd even include in the movie because its so random.

I enjoyed both Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel, their romance and chemistry was good, not great or epic (The Notebook) but nice, believable.

I also really enjoyed David Lyons, who takes on the tasty role of the bad guy here. He's the kind of character you love to hate and it was intriguing watching him slowly unravel into an alcoholic haze in his hunt for Katie.

And (despite myself) I liked the ending with the letter "to her." Now that was a real Nicholas Sparks moment. 6/16/15

Great suspenseful romance, great casting and beautiful location. Acting is great, characters are great- in the mood for a good romance- Nicolas Sparks is your man. Can't see how anyone can have anything to gripe about in this film.

I took my girlfriend to see this, mostly as she cant miss a love story film.... she wasn't disappointed with this. She loved every minute of it. As a male, I thought it was a bit wet, but still enjoyed it. Hough was an easy actress to watch, not only pretty, but accomplished at her art. This was seemingly written for her girlish look and persona. The scenery and cinematography were nothing short of amazing... Locations were perfect, id live there in a heartbeat.... Duhamal was frankly excellent in this role too, he played his part perfectly, and was the perfect choice for this film.

The script was given a twist, and I sat through most of the film not quiet sure what was going to happen next, it definitely kept me intrigued, although I found it a little slow at a few points, i still walked away liking the film as a whole.

Definitely worth going to see, certainly on the big screen, as the locations were amazing....

Director Lasse Hallström pulls off a surprise ending to this otherwise seemingly ordinary romantic thriller; in doing so, he redeemed what would otherwise have been a movie not worth a mention. Sure, the movie is sweet for the most part and the dramatic moments are nothing to brag about, but Hallström has been hiding the real love story all along; when it's revealed in the last scenes, we ask ourselves, how could I have not seen this and then you melt. But you do have to stick it out to the end. I don't wish to spill the beans so I'll keep mum about it. I understand some viewers are not going to be interested in the movie because of the cast, but the director's following is not without merit; after all he delivered Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Chocolat and Cider House Rules, and it's his uncanny ability to tell a story like no others is what made me want to watch the movie.

I watched Safe Haven knowing that Nicholas Sparks wrote the story, and not having read the book. This movie completely exceeded my expectations. As I write this, the tears are drying on my face. I believed the chemistry was there with the actors and the romance had a good build-up (not rushed). I like that the story was easy to follow. The actions scenes were well-directed and realistic. I like how the story incorporates action, suspense, drama, and romance, all in one. What really moved (shocked) me was the ending. It was so beautiful and I just started bawling. It was so moving. As a whole, I really enjoyed this movie.