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The Best of Me

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The Best of Me (Facebook)
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What's it about:

This is the story of Dawson and Amanda, two former high school sweethearts who find themselves reunited after 20 years apart, when they return to their small town for the funeral of a beloved friend. Their bittersweet reunion reignites the love they’ve never forgotten, but soon they discover the forces that drove them apart twenty years ago live on, posing even more serious threats today. Spanning decades, this epic love story captures the enduring power of our first true love, and the wrenching choices we face when confronted with elusive second chances.

What we thought:
Before I start this review I have a confession to make. I have read some of Nicholas Sparks’s books I have also watched most of the movies; some of them more than once (A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Safe Haven, Dear John…) I’ll stop there. By the looks of it I seem to be a fan.

And I know what you’re thinking... if you’ve seen one Nicholas Sparks movie you’ve seen them all. And by all accounts that it probably true. But there is something comforting in going to see a Nicholas Sparks movie - you know exactly what to expect.

The movie follows the standard Sparks recipe.

Girl meets boy. He is from the wrong side of the tracks. Something horrible happens. Years later they meet again. Sparks fly. But will it end in happily-ever-after?

This time around it’s the story of high school sweethearts Dawson (James Marsden) and Amanda (Michelle Monaghan) who have not seen each other for years. Dawson has never married and works on an oil rig while Amanda is in an unhappy marriage. 

As fate would have it the two meet up again when the death of a mutual friend forces them to deal with their unfinished business and unresolved feelings. Here the film goes back and forth between past and present. 

We meet the young Dawson (Luke Bracey) and Amanda (Liana Liberato). Through flashbacks we are swept up in the teenage love affair and the sad events that led to their break up.

When it came to casting they did no wrong. Both sets of couples are eye candy! And who doesn’t like watching beautiful people on the big screen. The characters are likable and the actors are convincing in their roles.

While Monaghan and Marsden are the big names, the stars of the show are Bracey and Liberato. The chemistry between the two kept will keep your eyes glued to the screen. The melodrama between the teenagers are very reminiscent of those 90s teen series. (You know which ones I’m talking about!)

The script and story is predictable and rife with clichés where destiny and coincidences rule. That said though, the beautiful setting and the actors will have you engrossed in this tale of love and loss.

If you’re into sappy predictable love stories you’ll definitely enjoy this one. Non-romantics need not apply.



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