All that banal "Safe Haven" is good for is eye candy
"Safe Haven" is the latest Nicholas Sparks' hokum thrust on unsuspecting moviegoers at Valentine's Day. Though more tolerable and not as syrupy as some of other film adaptations of his books, even the eye candy leads can barely overcome such a hackneyed, cookie-cutter script. When a mysterious young woman named Katie (Julianne Hough) arrives in a small North Carolina town and she holds tight to her past. Slowly she becomes one of the townspeople and has courage to start a relationship with Alex (Josh Duhamel), a widowed store owner with two young children.But her past catches up to her quickly, threatening their newfound love. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom ("Chocolat," "My Life as a Dog"), who tread similar ground with 2010's "Dear John," "Safe Haven" is an utterly pedestrian effort at best designed to tug the heartstrings. Some might be mildly surprised that some parts of this could be deemed a romantic "thriller" if you want to call it that, with the romantic angles mixed in with some heavy drama, and remarkably, it almost works if not for the utterly ridiculous twist/trick at the end that channels more "Sixth Sense" than "Love Story." (Even romance purists may roll their eyes at this one.) The acting and characters are clearly secondary to the posing of the eye candy leads; Duhamel and Hough mostly pose than do any serious acting, and in something like this, that's about all they need to do. Watch for "How I Met Your Mother's" Cobie Smulders in a small but pivotal role that's key to the twist at the end. Nicholas Sparks is the Stephen King of romance movies, and much like King's book-to-films, they periodically appear whether you want them to or not. Handsomely filmed, manipulative and calculated, "Safe Haven" is certainly worth a look if you like this sort of thing, but know you'll feel tricked by the ending.
Wes's Grade: C
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