Review of The Vow (2012) by Chelsey W — 23 Sep 2013

"The Vow" is a sappy love story about an artsy young couple living in Chicago. Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) are the perfect newlywed couple, but it's not so perfect when one moment of impact changes everything. In this film, the audience is constantly reminded that it is based off of a true story and yet it seems somewhat unrealistic. "The Vow" is a tasteless chick flick with a predictable plot that is a waste of the cast's talent and the beautiful real-life story of the Carpenters.

When the couple is first introduced to us, they are walking out of a movie theater on a snowy night. They get in their car and when they reach a stop sign, Paige unbuckles her seat belt and leans in to kiss her loving husband. At that moment, a large truck rear-ends them, sending her through the windshield. She later wakes from a coma with her beloved husband by her side. It seems as though everything is going to be ok until Paige begins to refer to him as her doctor. She has no memory of the last five years of her life which means she has no recollection of meeting and falling head over heels in love with Leo. This is very disappointing for him but he is determined to get her to fall for him again. I mean she fell for him once, why wouldn't it happen again? Paige leaves the hospital with Leo in hopes that it will help her regain her memory. She struggles to convince herself that she had been living a completely different life than the one she remembered so she goes back to her old life. She even goes back to her ex-fiancé, Jeremy played by Scott Speedman. Leo finally comes to the realization that she may never remember the love that they shared and decides to let her go because he just wants her to be happy.

At this point, it was not surprising for the viewer to be rolling eyes instead of wiping them. This is film is every woman's fantasy and director Michael Sucsy gives them exactly what they want; a predictable love story with a prince charming that would do anything to make the woman he loves happy. This movie is basically a different version of "50 First Dates" directed by Peter Segal. The only difference is that "The Vow" takes a more serious approach, focusing more on the romance rather than humor, and Leo only has to get Paige to fall in love with him once whereas Henry (Sandler) has to do it every single day. The creators of movies of this genre are running out of ideas. Many romantic tragedies go on the same path which makes not only this film, but many others very unoriginal and a tad boring.

Not only does the storyline make "The Vow" uninteresting, but the script itself does as well. It does not give the actors enough time to develop their characters which is why the audience has a hard time connecting to them and staying intrigued. Despite this, Tatum and McAdams do their very best to develop chemistry between their characters. From the glisten in their eyes to the way they embrace one another, the audience gets a taste of the love Leo and Paige shared. They both did well showing emotion through facial expressions and tone of voice which helps the viewer to better understand their struggle. It is such a pity that their performances were wasted on this lackluster film.

"How do you look at the girl you love and tell yourself it's time to walk away?" This film is about how one unselfish man did just that so that she could live a full and happy life even if it means that he would not be a part of it. This film truly had potential but the storyline did not do justice to the real-life couple, the Kim and Krickitt Carpenter. It was like every other romantic movie, lacking creativity. This film is all about fighting for the one's love but it makes the viewer fight to stay awake.