|
Safe Haven
| Released |
1 March 2013 |
| Director |
Lasse Hallstrom |
Starring
|
Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders, David Lyons |
| Writer(s) |
Leslie Bohem, Dana Stevens |
Producer(s)
|
Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Ryan Kavanaugh, Nicholas Sparks |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
115 minutes |
| Genre |
Drama, mystery, romance |
| Rating |
12A |
|
|
An undemanding weepy.
The eighth adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' hackneyed mass-market fiction, Safe Haven is a sentimental date movie with a thriller aspect brought in to shake things up. Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom, fresh from the well-received Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2012), takes a second swipe at a Sparks adaptation-the first being 2010's Dear John-and brings his own stamp of romantic drama to proceedings.
The opening sequence establishes the ominous context of Katie's (Julianne Hough) past. Terrified and dishevelled we see her seek help from an elderly lady as she flees from something or someone that wants to do her harm. Several hours later she disembarks a bus in the quiet sleepy seaside town of Southport, North Carolina. Determined to maintain a low-key existence she gets a job waitressing at the local fish shack and rents a dilapidated cabin in the woods. Despite her reluctance however her guard is gradually lowered by the well-meaning locals. Plainspeaking Jo (Cobie Smulders) draws her out of her shell and encourages her burgeoning romance with the handsome widower of the local grocery store Alex (Josh Duhamel). Cue plenty of Sparks-esque scenarios of canoe rides under a setting sun, fireworks and violent rainstorms that necessitate the principal characters to take off their wet clothes. However just as her relationship with Alex and his two kids becomes more serious Katie is left wondering if and when her past will catch up with her.
There are certain things to expect from a movie adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel. Fresh-faced leads, love and an all-American brand of schmaltz are all hallmarks of his and they are all omnipresent in Safe Haven which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The movie is inoffensive, gentle and earnest but for cinemagoers looking for more compelling fare, look elsewhere. Julianne Hough is more than adequate as the mysterious burdened Katie while Duhamel is yet again untested in the acting department by playing the delectable but vulnerable Mr.Right. The thriller element with the ominous Boston cop (David Lyons) hellbent on pursuing Katie brings an almost Sleeping with the Enemy air to proceedings while the flashback motif Hallstrom employs does well to break things up a little so that we aren't oversteeped in florid romantic slush. The real star of the movie however is the small town of Southport North Carolina-seaside villages don't come much better than this and Hallstrom makes the most of its wainscoted houses and languorous air.
- Louisa McElwee |
