She Says:
I LOVED this movie. I love a good movie that portrays a deep love connection and love affair that is real and not just a fling - a love that changes who you are inside and inspires you and brings out the hidden places in your heart. This film also accurately portrays the pain that divorce causes to children and a very accurate picture of loss. Richard Gere plays the leading male role, and while I don't think he is spectacular, he did fine in this role. I absolutely love Diane Lane, and she fits this role perfectly. This movie is from the book Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks, whom I love. I thought the movie was very accurate scene for scene adaptation from the book. It is very similar in tone to The Notebook and Message In A Bottle, so if you liked those movies, you will probably enjoy this one as well. The basic story line is this: Two divorcees who have experienced painful personal situations are brought together at a friend's Bed and Breakfast on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. While they are there, a mild hurricane hits the Outer Banks, at the same time emotions and buried pain come to the surface for some self discovery. Their time together brings deliverance and needed connection with each other, which subsequently brings a deep sense of joy and freedom. This freedom allows what was buried to come to the surface for personal change for each of them. I cried at the end - mostly because Diane Lane's depiction of someone who has lost a loved one is very deep and heart wrenching and incredibly accurate. Having been a young widow, I value appropriate and clear presentation of these emotions. This was an excellent movie and I recommend it. Especially if you have recently suffered a loss or a break up. just sayin...
He Says:
Richard Gere's not one of my favorite actors, by a long shot. Thankfully, this movie has a lot more Diane Lane in it than it does him. The story basically goes exactly as expected from the beginning, even for one who's never read a Nicholas Sparks book - which would be me. I saw The Notebook though, so I knew what I was in for. It borders on being overly sentimental, but again, if you are prepared for it, you're not overwhelmed by it. I thought that the depiction of the impact of divorce on kids was accurate and an important message to deliver. Children think - and secretly hope - they can bring their parents back together for months, sometimes years, and when they finally realize how little power they have, their world tends to crash down around them.
The metaphor of the storm blowing in might seem a bit too cute considering the story line, but this movie never makes any pretense of being anything other than a chick-flick. There...I said it. I enjoyed this movie. I enjoyed watching it with my wife and handing her Kleenex. But this movie wasn't made for a man to watch - at least not by himself. Men, if your wife wants to see this, you could do worse than agree to it. You won't miss the fact that no one gets his head shot off or cussed out. But she will owe you a horror movie.
Parent's corner...
Violence: None
Sex: No nudity, but there are some sexual situations
Awkward moments: Not really
Sociability: Kids would be bored with this. It would be a good date movie.
Language scale: Mr. Rogers - Mormon - Gym teacher - Sailor - Vietnam War Platoon Leader
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sensuality.
