Review: The Best of Me

The Best of Me, the latest film adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, doesn't mess with the formula that has been sustained by eight previous page to screen transfers, most notably The Notebook. There are pretty people living, loving, and suffering in pretty places. There will be at least one kiss in the rain and/or declarations of love as a golden sunset sighs in the distance. Heartstrings will be pulled, and the story will manage to be both overplotted and underdeveloped.

Dawson and Amanda (James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan as adults, Luke Bracey and Liana Liberato as teenagers) are the latest in the line of Sparks' star-crossed lovers. Dawson has just survived an oil rig explosion with nary a scratch; the miracle has prompted him to re-evaluate his life and wonder at its purpose. He's called back to his Louisiana hometown by the death of his friend and surrogate father Tuck (Gerald McRaney). Also prompted to return is Amanda, Dawson's high-school sweetheart whom he hasn't seen for 21 years.

It's clear that the two still love each other, but something has kept them apart - and it's not Amanda's 18-year-marriage to a self-absorbed alcoholic (Sebastian Arcelus). Extended flashbacks reveal their romance's origin story. She's the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the town; he's burdened with a white trash background and an abusive father (Sean Bridgers), who seems hellbent on taking down his son, whose kindness and intelligence mark him as an outsider. After another beating, Dawson runs away and is taken in by Tuck, an irascible widower whose generous gesture makes him a target for Dawson's father's brand of nastiness.

Before tragedy and self-sacrifice drive the young couple apart, they frolic and cavort at Vandemere, a cabin owned by Tuck, where they work on restoring the garden when they're not swimming in the lake or sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G. As the older couple reflect on their younger selves and grow closer together, will they allow themselves a second chance at love? Or will fate find another way to keep them apart?

The Best of Me is what it is and makes no claim to be anything other than a predictable, conventional, and overly familiar soap opera. Fans of Sparks' work won't be disappointed; if anything, screenwriters Will Fetters and J. Mills Goodloe manage to inflate the already preposterous dramatics of the book. Michael Hoffman does capable work as director, though he should have paid a bit more attention to the romantic backdrops as they look digitally dropped in. The kiss at the water tower is particularly glaring in its visual artifice.

Both Monaghan and Liberato are beautifully lit, as if they stepped out of a shampoo commercial or a romance novel cover. Both manage to overcome the broad strokes characterisation as do Marsden and Bracey, though the lack of physical resemblance between the actors is problematic (Paul Walker was set to play Dawson before his untimely death). Both have their beefcake moments, which should be an added bonus for the film's core audience.

The Best of Me

Directed by: Michael Hoffman

Written by: Will Fetters, J. Mills Goodloe; adapted from Nicholas Sparks' novel

Starring: James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Luke Bracey, Liana Liberato, Gerald McRaney, Sean Bridgers, Robby Rasmussen, Sebastian Arcelus