Review of The Vow (2012) by Krantos — 03 Jun 2012

A movie made for people who don't really understand relationships. It's essentially a fantasy for those women who never got past the "ME" stage.

Tatum's Leo is basically written as the most perfect husband in the world, who bends so far over backwards to help his wife that he could get a new job as a contortionist. Problem is McAdam's Paige is about as likeable as a rock. Less so, actually because a rock wouldn't spend 2 hours treating someone like crap. Paige never does anything unselfish in the entire movie. The movie felt like the middle act of your average RomCom where one party is just missing everything and needs to shape up before they lose what they have. My wife and I kept waiting for the turn around. Kept waiting for Paige to do something to make it seem like she actually appreciates everything Leo is doing, and try to reconnect the love she once felt. It never happens. At one point she tells him "I'm tired of disappointing you," but it's woefully out of place because she's never even attempted to do otherwise. If she had seemed to make a single effort on Leo's behalf, it might have worked. But she doesn't. In fact, every time you think she's about to, she does something to make matters worse instead.

Judging the movie by Paige's actions and the plot points, it seems like the it should really be about how she reconnects with her family who she hadn't spoken to for years before the accident. This might have worked if the majority of the movie isn't focused on Leo and if her parents hadn't been written as comically bad RomCom villains. The movie is a mess. Premise is great, but so sloppily written it's embarrassing. If it had just been about Leo and Paige, and how they rediscovered their love. Fine. If it had just been about Paige reconnecting with her family, thanks to the accident (silver lining and all that). Fine. Trying and failing to do both. No.