Safe Haven (C or 2/4 stars)
Oh, look ... 'Safe Haven' ... another sentimental, soapy drama based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. And look, it's directed by Lasse Hallstrom. I'm shocked {wink, wink}. There are some very predictable elements to these Nicholas Sparks movie adaptations (The Notebook, Dear John, Message in a Bottle): death, love, romance, danger. And these elements are all punctuated by soft-focus lensing, tinkling piano music, seaside locales, sundrenched beaches, canoeing, & random rainstorms. I'm poking fun. So, I'll digress. This movie is not good. And yet, it's quite a bit better than I was expecting; given the fairly horrid reviews it's received.
As the movie begins, we watch a highly distraught woman (Julianne Hough) as she flees from a violent, bloody suburban crime scene. She cuts her long auburn locks; and bleaches them blonde before boarding a greyhound bus going south from Boston towards Atlanta. Quite impulsively, she gets off the bus in Southport, North Carolina - a small, picturesque community along the coastline. Looking to bury her checkered past, she meekly introduces herself to inquiring folks as 'Katie' & gets a job as a waitress at the town restaurant. She's beautiful, yet quiet, mysterious, and her sudden arrival naturally raises questions about her recent past.
After Katie rents a tiny cabin that's isolated in the nearby woods {SO unrealistic}, she's befriended by a slightly nosy neighbor (Cobie Smulders) & catches the eye of the kind-hearted store owner, Alex (Josh Duhamel). He's a recent widower who is raising his sad, sensitive pre-teen son (Noah Lomax) & his spunky 8 yr. old daughter (Mimi Kirkland). Katie is determined to avoid forming friendships (or something more). But the charms of Alex finally start to wear her down. Then disaster strikes: a foaming-at-the-mouth, alcohol chuggin' detective (David Lyons) is hell bent on tracking 'Katie' down. Pyrotechnics & melodrama ensues.
The plot for this film is very reminiscent of Sleeping with the Enemy; in which Julia Roberts fled from an abusive husband & tried to make a new life for herself in a quaint place. Problem is: this film is nowhere near as good (acting, dialogue, filmmaking, etc). Furthermore, for a film that has many thriller elements in them, there are no scary moments and almost no suspense/tension exists. That's a bummer. Why is it a bummer? Because without those elements, this is simply a soapy melodrama about 2 gorgeous people trying to have a relationship. It's a big 'who cares?'
Julianne Hough is very nice to look at, but she isn't much in the acting department. Robotic, in a word. Josh Duhamel is a bit better at conveying humanity. He's who you'll remember. All this said, I must repeat that the whole of the movie is more satisfying than it's schmaltzy, too-familiar parts. Director Lasse Hallstrom crafts the film better than it deserves. So 'Safe Haven' goes down smoothly. It's not an abomination. It's just depressing to see the same poor (or 'not good') Nicholas Spark adaptation again & again & again. I suppose that until the public stops seeing this substandard stuff, then Nicholas Sparks will continue to reap rewards.
As the movie begins, we watch a highly distraught woman (Julianne Hough) as she flees from a violent, bloody suburban crime scene. She cuts her long auburn locks; and bleaches them blonde before boarding a greyhound bus going south from Boston towards Atlanta. Quite impulsively, she gets off the bus in Southport, North Carolina - a small, picturesque community along the coastline. Looking to bury her checkered past, she meekly introduces herself to inquiring folks as 'Katie' & gets a job as a waitress at the town restaurant. She's beautiful, yet quiet, mysterious, and her sudden arrival naturally raises questions about her recent past.
After Katie rents a tiny cabin that's isolated in the nearby woods {SO unrealistic}, she's befriended by a slightly nosy neighbor (Cobie Smulders) & catches the eye of the kind-hearted store owner, Alex (Josh Duhamel). He's a recent widower who is raising his sad, sensitive pre-teen son (Noah Lomax) & his spunky 8 yr. old daughter (Mimi Kirkland). Katie is determined to avoid forming friendships (or something more). But the charms of Alex finally start to wear her down. Then disaster strikes: a foaming-at-the-mouth, alcohol chuggin' detective (David Lyons) is hell bent on tracking 'Katie' down. Pyrotechnics & melodrama ensues.
The plot for this film is very reminiscent of Sleeping with the Enemy; in which Julia Roberts fled from an abusive husband & tried to make a new life for herself in a quaint place. Problem is: this film is nowhere near as good (acting, dialogue, filmmaking, etc). Furthermore, for a film that has many thriller elements in them, there are no scary moments and almost no suspense/tension exists. That's a bummer. Why is it a bummer? Because without those elements, this is simply a soapy melodrama about 2 gorgeous people trying to have a relationship. It's a big 'who cares?'
Julianne Hough is very nice to look at, but she isn't much in the acting department. Robotic, in a word. Josh Duhamel is a bit better at conveying humanity. He's who you'll remember. All this said, I must repeat that the whole of the movie is more satisfying than it's schmaltzy, too-familiar parts. Director Lasse Hallstrom crafts the film better than it deserves. So 'Safe Haven' goes down smoothly. It's not an abomination. It's just depressing to see the same poor (or 'not good') Nicholas Spark adaptation again & again & again. I suppose that until the public stops seeing this substandard stuff, then Nicholas Sparks will continue to reap rewards.