Review of The Best of Me (2014) by David P — 08 Feb 2015

A movie based on a Nicholas Sparks novel always comes with expected elements. Two people fall in love, kiss in the rain, it's usually a forbidden love, something sad is going to happen. Although I haven't seen the majority of these films, there have been a lot of them and now the idea is just getting a bit old.

The Best of Me ticks every romance film cliche box, in fact it pretty much expects you to already be aware of them. Dawson and Amanda fall in love almost instantly, there is no real build up to it. It's just like that. And I understand that is how it works sometimes, but they set Dawson up to a point where he doesn't want to get Amanda involved in his dangerous upbringing, yet that only lasts for one conversation. I never really believed that they had fallen for each other, no amount of lovey dovey montages is going to change that if they don't have the right set up.

James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan are pretty wooden in the leads, but it is the casting of their younger selves that puts a big question mark over the casting director's head. They look nothing like their older counterparts. And it's not like they sacrifices their likeness' for phenomenal acting skill, as though not bad, the younger versions aren't much higher then TV soap opera level. Considering Luke Bracey is of Home and Away fame, I guess it is to be expected, but not matching the actors properly is inexcusable. I'm sure there are a ton of actors and actress's alike out there there that share the same make up as Marsden and Monaghan.

Although sensitive souls might get a bit of a kick out of this and there are some great tense moments where the film does pick up a bit, it feels like, and would have suited a TV movie slot just fine. No need to see this one in cinemas, unless you're a big Nicholas Sparks fan.

2/5.

'You bring out the best of me,' - Dawson.