Plot: Amanda (Liana Liberato), a fiery young girl from a wealthy family embarks on a romantic journey with Dawson (Luke Bracey), a bright young man from a troubled past. The two fall in love during their teenage years but their relationship soon falters due to an accident involving Dawson and his abusive father. The two meet again 20 years later after learning of the death of a mutual friend. The Best of Me tells the story of Amanda (Michelle Monaghan) and Dawson (James Marsden) and their attempt to rekindle the love they once had in their younger years.
As a hopeful, somewhat romantic female moviegoer I unfortunately can’t resist the trailer of a sappy romantic drama. Ever since Titanic and The Notebook, I have been anxiously anticipating the next sweeping cinematic love story. Upon first glance, The Best of Me, that newest book-to-movie-Nicholas-Sparks film seems promising. However, like the recent string of Sparks films (i.e. The Last Song, Dear John, etc.) The Best of Me falls short. Terribly short.
Directed by Michael Hoffman, the melodramatic love story, recounts the events of a young, Louisiana couple’s blossoming romance and then picks up a good twenty years later only to reveal that the couple didn’t necessarily live happily ever after. Now of course the story is much more evolved than that but I will avoid spoilers for the poor souls who still desire to see this sub-par attempt at a romantic drama.
The Best of Me could have been a halfway decent story, but as with most of this author’s novels, the film is more campy than it is dramatic and it continues on for far too long and yet still lacks a solid ending. The script is also painfully predictable and I often felt that I had seen this film once before (As I have, thanks to the other nine dismal Sparks film adaptations.)
Where the storyline falls short, the film’s actors do make up for it. Despite the weak screenplay ,there are noteworthy performances throughout the two-hour long piece. James Marsden, who apparently is plagued with playing the handsome man who fails at getting the girl, gives a fine performance as the middle-aged Dawson. But, this is to no surprise as Marsden usually delivers in each film that he is cast. While the young Liana Liberato is no Rachel McAdams, she stands on her own as the fiery teenage Amanda. Luke Bracey also shines in his role as the teenage Dawson. With his shaggy hair and blue eyes, Bracey resembles the late Heath Ledger in the ‘90s classic 10 Things I hate About You. Michelle Monaghan (True Detective) portrays the middle-aged Amanda and does so with ease. She is the quintessential Nicholas Sparks leading lady who still manages to look beautiful even while crying profusely. Gerald McRaney (House of Cards) wonderfully portrays Tuck, Dawson’s father figure and mentor.
Aesthetically speaking, the film is gorgeous. James Marsden still manages to look just as pleasing as he did in 2003’s The Notebook and Michelle Monaghan is equally as stunning. Set in Louisiana, the film is filled with scenes featuring beautiful mossy trees, sunsets and charming Southern scenery. The soundtrack is mildly forgettable but the Lady Antebellum tune that plays in the closing credits is enjoyable.
Bottom Line: There’s nothing to see hear folks. The Best of Me will surely please its target audience of teenager girls and their mothers, however for the rest of us we can happily continue searching for that next epic cinematic love story. Or we can just settle for having our hopes rise upon the viewing of the next Nicholas Sparks film (and we all know there will be another!)
Rating: 3 out of 10
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Mallory Delchamp is a writer, model, and performer living in Manhattan. You can routinely read her film and music reviews here on Pop-Break and you can also check out her work on zumic.com and nytheatreguide.com. A social media and pop culture enthusiast, Mallory also enjoys musical theatre, superhero films, and drinking coffee. You can visit Mallory at her website, www.mallorydelchamp.com
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