As of Feb. 10, girls have been rushing to the movies, dragging their boyfriends along behind them, to see the new romantic drama, The Vow.
Two of the most highly regarded romantic leads,Rachel McAdams of The Notebook and Channing Tatum of She’s the Man, surprisingly cannot save this movie from being anything more than a grade B romantic film.
True, McAdams’ character Paige is not supposed to be completely comfortable with her husband, having no recollection of their marriage. Yet, if they’re truly meant to be together there should at least be somewhat of a spark between the two. There isn’t.
The overall concept of a newlywed couple struggling to recover from a car crash which has left the wife’s memory severely damaged and her husband desperately trying to win back her heart is touching. However, it’s lessened by the quickness of the moments which are supposed to be the most touching.
When Leo tells Paige “I will always love you but the fact is you don’t know me and I’m just a stranger,” it’s over before you can even work up some tears.
Not to say the film doesn’t get it right at times. The little moments of humor are sure to be quoted on tumblr for years to come. Art museum weddings and pink wedding gowns will no doubt be popular with our generation. And when the credits are about to roll in the theater and a picture comes up on the screen, the whole audience will be stunned into silence by this twist of an ending.
So, the film is not at the level of famous romantic films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Pretty Woman. There’s no need to see it over and over again. But it is still a great love story and love stories will always find an audience.