Safe Haven

[pandv2010]

i liked this film but have to say, it became predictable early on and had figured out the ending half way through the film.

[caitlinmorton]

It sort of felt like I was watching two different movies.

[cliveas]

If anyone wants to play spot the FMUKers:

[McG]

I saw this using a voucher on the advice of deb1.
I have to say I enjoyed the film . . . the start was certainly slow and it did take a while for the true story to become clear.
The final quarter has all the "activity" and twists and turns.
Maybe it's the kind of film which you have to be in a certain mood to watch . . . .
Marks 8/10

[deb1]

Was just about to put a review on for Safe haven after recommending it to McG (glad to see that you enjoyed it!)

I felt exactly the same, after a slow start an intriguing film with some twists in the tale. This is very easy to watch and an interesting story. A film that you don't have to think about too much (which I quite liked!)

[sambeck]

not my cuppa tea. too gushy. ok for wet sunday pm infront of telly.

[AYBG]

To watch a trailer or rate this film, please click here »



Directed by Lasse Hallström
Starring: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders

Plot: A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.

IMDB

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[kevinknapman]

As it's unlikely that the review I wrote a couple of months ago for this is ever going to be published by the website I wrote it for, I figured I'd post it here instead. At least that way maybe someone will read it.

The seemingly unstoppable Nicholas Sparks’ film adaptation juggernaut continues with the 8th cinematic version of one of his novels. This time we see the writer himself taking on production duties for the first time, and bringing back Dear John director Lasse Hallström for his second stab at a Sparks’ opus.

A young woman (Hough) is on the run from an initially unexplained violent incident with determined detective Tierney (Lyons) in pursuit. Getting off a coach at a small coastal town, she decides to stay and gets a job at a local diner. Calling herself Katie she is initially reluctant to get involved with anyone, but soon attracts the attention of store owner, father of two and recent widower Alex (Duhamel) and persistent and friendly neighbour Jo (Smulders). Katie and Alex soon get closer, but her past isn’t too far behind.

It might be fairly obvious from my opening paragraph that these types of films aren’t exactly for me, nor are they supposed to be, crucially. But for their intended audience, the mix of young love and tragedy seem to go down very well. Films like The Notebook and last year’s The Lucky One proving very popular with a generally young, female audience. So I wasn’t expecting too much going in. Surprisingly the parts of the film that seemed to fit most to my idea of what a Nicholas Sparks film is, were actually the moments where I was probably the most engaged. It’s everything else that makes Safe Haven something of a disaster.

So the film initially opens in slightly clunky Sleeping with the Enemy territory, setting up the first of two twists that the film has to offer. Most audiences will pick this one up fairly quickly and feel vindicated if underwhelmed when their suspicions are confirmed later on. Once the film arrives in the small coastal town however, it finds its feet a little and settles into an overly familiar, incredibly cliched, if not unlikeable groove. The ‘attractive young couple getting to know each other’ plot benefits from the personable if slightly bland performances of Hough and Duhamel. Though neither actor remotely convinces as either an abused emotionally scarred wife or a struggling father/widower, they are watchable enough and most viewers will be willing them to still be together by the time the end credits roll. Hough also has a cute chemistry with Duhamel’s kids, and only Smulders’ Jo seems out of place. Her character is oddly disconnected from the rest of the film, though for a reason.

Sadly the spectre of the opening scenes hang heavy over the film, and you know that at some point the romance will have to take a back seat. So it’s at this point that the film starts to go steadily downhill as dodgy melodramatic dynamics take over. Some particularly overwrought acting from a certain actor don’t exactly help either. So a forgettable if reasonably engaging film becomes an unconvicing thriller.

Now by this point it would be reasonable to assume that Safe Haven had given us the worst it has to offer. Oh boy, would that be wrong, because some niggling doubts about another character bring about the film’s second twist. It is, without doubt, one of the dumbest, most jaw-dropping twists I’ve probably ever seen in a film. Like the first one, eagle-eyed viewers p*ying attention will probably pick up on it long before it happens. Unlike the first twist, you’ll spend the remainder of the film hoping that the writer and film-makers won’t have the nerve to go somewhere so clearly insane. But go there they do. The worst aspect of it, is that it is clearly intended to be an emotional and moving ending. Perhaps some less critical viewers will find it just that but the audience I saw it with (admittedly mostly film-bloggers and critics) just howled with laughter, almost drowning out a hideously sentimental voiceover.

It’s hard to see what exactly drew Lasse Hallström to this but he doesn’t exactly bring any of this to life. Nicholas Sparks’ fans may well be satisfied by this latest film adaptation, everyone else would probably be advised to give it a wide berth. Unless you’re actually intrigued by just how bad its final twist could be (trust me, it’s bad). The likeable aspects are too overwhelmed by the shaky thriller elements and barking mad denouement to make it worth a look.

[Beate]

Why do you think they won't publish it - too complimentary?