Along the Way

I am writing this for anyone who has not yet seen, or is questioning, The Haven.

I went to see this movie in a little bar in Park City, Utah, during Sundance. My best friend and I walked in about 20 minutes into it. and what I seen of it was totally gripping. They done another showing promptly after the first, so my buddy and I decided to stick around and see what we missed. We had full intensions on leaving after we seen what we had missed, but we were so ingulfed in it that we opted to finish the movie a second time.

The actors and writing were great, I could relate to each of the roles personally. I found this movie to be an amazingly powerful film. I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but it's one of those movies that after you see it, you feel different, and you can't stop thinking about it.

I would strongly suggest anyone see this movie, and if you get the chance to talk to John (the writer) take the chance he is an extrememly down to earth guy. We were in Park City, with literally 1000's of people, we went back to see it again the second night, and John seen us, and remembered us by name. I find that pretty outstanding. After the film he asked us to give hime a testamony on film, which we were more than happy to do, for a film that contained such raw power and charisma. I'm no movie critic, but I would definately give this film 10 stars, on a 5 star rating system.

It's amazing, check it out.

this movie took you on a journey--and you absolutely can't stop thinking about it when it's over. you want the four of them to find their way and stay friends forever. the music is one of the most amazing aspects of this movie. it is beautifully written and perfectly coincides with the story so much that sometimes you don't even notice that it is the notes of the music that carry you from one scene to the next. i recommend this film to anyone looking to watch a story that affects you long after the movie is over. thank you for such a great effort towards making a quality film about the things that are the most important parts of life: friendship and loyalty

I watched this one about a month ago. The VHS was lying around in the corner of my bedroom, and when i desperately needed to watch a movie, i reluctantly picked it off from the floor and jammed it into the video player. What i didn't realise was that this movie would keep me pinned to the couch for a couple of hours to the point where i wouldn't even want to go to the kitchen to make myself some coffee in case i missed any of the movie (im too lazy, so i couldn't even consider pressing the pause button on the video player. The remote control was lost so....). Anyway... The story behind the haven goes as follows: Four best friends grew up together. They were together since they were pre-teens and stuck together till after their college graduation. When they were kids, they discovered this ranch-like place called "the haven" and made it their special meeting point. The place was special to all 4 of them because it symbolized their brotherhood and soon became their protection. They had made it a customary practice to visit the place together and continued to do so until they were adults. Following their graduation from college, they continue to live their lives together under the assumption that they will always be together or will at least always be there for each other. However, as time goes by, things change. Their bond of brotherhood as sealed by the haven, slowly begins to crumble until disaster strikes into each of their lives. After the spine-chilling tragedies occur, the friends that remain live life in regret, thinking about how things could have turned out better if they had acted more responsively to their other 2 friends who lost their lives. They end up questioning themselves about the bond of brotherhood between the four of them and whether or not it became soo weak to the point where the haven stopped protecting them. This is a very good movie (if not spectacular)and i would recommend it to anyone regardless of what type of viewers they are. This one will fascinate anyone.

I give this a 7.5/10....

What has happened to make Hollywood so spineless? They will release Gigli because it has the name and nothing else. But The Haven has everything but name appeal, and can't get distributed. This film is a STAR MAKER. Andrew Bowen crafted an amazing story as both writer and director, and then personally gives one of the most electrifying performances I've seen in the last ten years. The power of Penn, the charisma of the Rock. The rest of the cast, from the 3 co- stars to the smallest bit part, turns in wonderfully crafted performances. The visuals are amazing, the music was perfectly chosen, the editing and pacing were seamless, hell, even the credits were a joy to watch.

This is a delicately crafted masterpiece of friendship, loss, and redemption. You won't escape this movie without sore ribs from laughing or damp cheeks from crying.

Okay, forget the flowery talk. This is Steel Magnolias for 20-something guys. Someone is Hollywood is eventually gonna figure that out and make a helluva lotta money distributing this film. Too bad they all seem to forget that here in the real world, we care an awful lot more about story than we do about tabloid friendly names. And if you are in Hollywood, I beg you to remember, once upon a time, none of us had ever heard of Frank Capra, Spencer Tracy, or even Steven Spielberg. Take a chance.

Most people know talented actor and comedian Andrew Bowen from his short time on FOX-TV's sketch TV show, "Mad TV." Unfortunately they more than likely have not learned about him as the producer/director and head writer of a self-produced film from 2000 called "The Haven." "The Haven" is a loving and poignant story of four friends and the the trials and tribulations of what their "circle of life" has meted them from their chance meeting in grade school, the carefree days through high school and college, and that awkward time between late adolescence and the beginning of "the rest of their lives." The story also honestly depicts the not-so-fun underbelly of the realities of life and relationships when maturing personalities clash. While "The Haven" has many moments most audience members can relate to, the script has its moments of implausibility from a storytelling standpoint, and moments of way-over-the-top overracting especially as it relates to the four boys' relationships and conflicts to their outside world (parents, girlfriends, etc.). These moments unfortunately distract from the intent of the main storyline and are compounded by what some may view as totally unmotivated gratuitous violence and possibly mar what could have been a "great" movie into a "good" movie. Despite this, "The Haven" is an a notable artistic achievement from Andrew Bowen and one can only hope he will be able to capitalize on this milestone of a project in his future endeavors on his obvious talents as an actor "and" producer/director/writer.