Review of The Best of Me (2014) by Charles S — 17 Oct 2014

"The Best of Me" is a soap-opera fodder story about star-crossed lovers (played by Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden) who are forced to curtail their youthful fling when family situations arise.

However, low and behold, they re-unite 20 years later only to rekindle their flame. I thought this movie was definitely a tear-jerker, and I could see why it would appeal to the Nicholas Sparks crowd.

The film is full of tearjerker moments, and on that front, the movie delivers. However, I found the plot terribly clichéd, and I didn't find the romance between the two to be fully developed. It didn't have a sense of authenticity and fell back on every sappy clichéd plot device in the book.

I also found the film melodramatic and with an inflated sense of its own purpose. This is neither the greatest nor the worst Nicholas Sparks novel adapted to film. It has somewhat relatable but static characters that you will probably feel a connection with, but outside of that, there is absolutely nothing unique about the plot we see in this film ---------------------------------------------- C+.