Un havre de paix

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

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.

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.

'Safe Haven' is from the same author as romantic classic 'The Notebook.' 'Safe Haven' is not exactly as generic as 'The Notebook' but it does qualify as pretty boring in terms of cinematic exploration.

Despite the story – on paper – seeming fairly interesting and relatively unique to the romantic genre, the film still manages to bore you for the first hour of it. In fact, the last 30 minutes of the film are sadly the most interesting. Before that we have endless conversations that seem pointless and clichéd, naff romantic gestures and unrealistic characters. Domestic abuse is sadly a very real problem for many but this film somehow makes the issue seem very unrealistic and as something so dramatic it could never happen in real life. Beautiful people deal with their problems in a beautiful, idyllic small town very quickly and very easily, it isn't exactly interesting.

The acting was a lot better than I had expected; Julianne Hough was a bit flat in some scenes but her performance wasn't bad – just not memorable. Josh Duhamel gave a fairly good performance; he was not playing a pretty face with zero background like he has done in other films and he managed to show he can act with at least a little depth. David Lyons gave the best performance in the film but unfortunately had the least amount of screen time. Playing the creepy, alcoholic, abusive husband, he made the final act worth watching and was quite scary.

Overall, the film certainly is not a bad film; it just isn't a very interesting or memorable one. It's full of clichés and there are not many emotional, heart-warming scenes so it is a little bit bland.

I will not compare this movie with the novel on which it is based because I have not read it. "Safe haven" is not innovator at all, it is one more romantic drama with a quiet predictable ending, but at the same time, with some mystery and some twists that kept me amused and paying attention during its entire length. It is not as good as "The notebook", but it is better than "Dear John" and "The lucky one", in my opinion. Anyway, these four are very alike to each other and based on the respective novels written by the same author. Lasse Hallstrom proofs again he is an efficient director of dramas (I cannot say versatile, because he has not directed more genres ). He has been able to take advantage of the cast, which is not particularly great, but good enough. The photography is one of the best elements of the movie. It is mainly located in Northern Carolina (in a quiet coastal village) and I really liked the environment. The pace is fluid. It made me pay attention from the beginning. It does not obviously have the same pace that action movies should have. The plot contains just a few good unexpected twists and some flashbacks. The plot is easy to follow and adds no confusion, which is good. The acting is good enough. I am not a fan of any actor from this mo vie, but they all did a decent job and are believable in their respective roles. Josh Dushamel and Julianne Hough are the two leading ones, specially her, who is not famous at all. In conclusion, those who really like this sort of movies will surely enjoy this one even though it is not a top romantic drama. The intrigue and photography are added value. The cast is not great, but good enough. The film is well-paced, but it is not original at all. 7,25.