This marks the second viewing of Nights in Rodanthe, the following adaptation of Nicholas Sparks novel with the same name. Honestly, I’m pretty sure I read the novel but I can’t really remember it much so there isn’t much of a comparison. This one didn’t touch me a whole lot so I was hesitant to watch the movie. Its kind of the same deal with this movie as The Lucky One which has been sitting on my shelf forever and I will watch for this marathon soon. The only attractive part of this movie would be that the leads for Nights in Rodanthe is Diane Lane and Richard Gere and I think they are quite remarkable talents. Although, my exposure to them hasn’t really been that plentiful but still.. Lets check out how this was!
Director: George C. Wolfe
Cast: Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Viola Davis, Christopher Meloni, Scott Glenn, Mae Whitman, James Franco
Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane) is in an unhappy relationship bordering on divorce after her husband (Christopher Meloni) leaves her. On his visit to pick up the kids, he asks if he can come back however she decides to think about it while on her vacation. Her vacation is to help her best friend (Viola Davis) take care of her inn while she goes on a business trip. During this time, there would be one guest who turns out to be a doctor, Dr. Paul Flanner, currently sued for the loss of a woman’s life and there to meet her husband (Scott Glenn) and also, on his way to make amends with his son (James Franco). As Paul and Adrienne get to know each other through each other’s pains, they start getting closer and helping each other find their happiness.
If its anything I’ve learned watching romances, particularly this past while, its really how you relate or its really a feeling you get from it. For me, Nights in Rodanthe is not very effective but it comes with no surprise since its rare that I don’t even remember much of the novels that I read and thats the case with this one. In terms of Nicholas Sparks, it feels a little too formulaic. Man, I never use that word but I’m starting to feel like it for this one. There’s so much that similar, just like I’ve seen letter writing or story writing for almost all the movies. Its not a bad thing. I’d love to receive snail mail. I’m old-fashioned that way. Either way, still, this doesn’t resound to me and honestly, I felt like there was a bit of overacting to be overly emotional or whatever.
Don’t get me wrong though. I didn’t hate Nights of Rodanthe. In fact, I really liked the characters themselves. Sure, it was really overdoing it but I didn’t really like the romance as much as the family aspects of it. Like the rebuilding of the mother-daughter bond and the father-son bond. Those were actually really touching moments. Even just Richard Gere’s character growing and seeing how to be more than just a doctor but standing in the shoes of the woman who lost her life and her family and learning to see more as to what others wanted. Because honestly, his character was really frustratingly self-centred.
There’s really nothing much to say here. I don’t think the performances were weak and I believe the blame goes mostly to the script and the story itself. However, it doesn’t work for me, maybe it’ll work for you. I’m guessing that I’m also not the target audience for this. Aside from the fun silly moments between Diane Lane and Richard Gere’s characters and the conflicts and troubles surrounding their lives, nothing else really has that touching factor. Something seems to be missing or maybe it just feels a bit forced. I don’t know…I’m not good at saying whats wrong with a flick, its just usually not to my preference.
Thoughts? Have you read or seen Nights in Rodanthe? What do you think about Richard Gere and Diane Lane?
Tranquil Dreams 