Safe Haven Reivew
RYAN: This is the newest film not only based on a Nicholas Sparks novel but he’s wised up and it’s produced by Nicholas Sparks Productions as well.
CHUCK: I was shocked it’s also directed by Lasse Hallstr om who did Dear John, Chocolat, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, among others…
RYAN: This one stars Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough and I walked into this movie with the highest hopes, thinking, “This is gonna be the movie wherein Julianne Hough will prove herself as an actress;” sadly, that did not happen. I am still unimpressed.
CHUCK: Didn’t happen?
RYAN: No! She was no better than she was in Rock of Ages or Burlesque. She can’t act. She has no emotional depth. She’s just a pretty girl who can dance and didn’t even do that in this movie.
CHUCK: You’re right she doesn’t have emotional depth. Lots of close-ups of her looking beautiful but then again, it was smart to pair her with Josh who is also nice to look at, but you’re not gonna find him in the next Oliver Stone movie.
RYAN:
Cut to him in the next Oliver Stone movie.
CHUCK: [laughs’]
RYAN: Just kidding. They are about the same. He’s a bit better. She’s basically a pretty girl who is now “dating” Ryan Seacrest. I just didn’t really feel anything for her and I bet if Kate Winslet had done this movie, I’d have been all up into it… riveted.
CHUCK: Exactly. The right performer can even make…
RYAN:
…the phone book sound amazing.
CHUCK: Right.
RYAN: This movie is so slow moving and long and boring. I felt like I was watching a silent movie for much of it. Lots of music and montages and sappiness. I was so not into it.
CHUCK: It could have been cut down a bit for sure. There were a lot of unnecessary visual setups being done. It was like the director just wanted us to look at the pretty town and pretty river and harbor and pretty people. It was focusing on the visual beauty as opposed to depth of the story.
RYAN:
That’s also because the script wasn’t great. But again, maybe with a better actress, it might have played better. The combination of a not-great script and actor hurt this movie.
CHUCK: There’s that old adage that you never wanna work with children and animals. And this was the perfect example where the little girl stole the show and created the most emotional connection to the characters. I cared more about her.
RYAN: I did like the last half hour but mostly because it picks up speed so it held my attention better. But that didn’t save the film for me.
CHUCK: I have a hard time with movies where the bad guy is so one dimensional that he’s just bad and you’re so manipulated to hate him as opposed to being more human and allowing us to just fear him instead of loathe him.
RYAN:
Well put.
CHUCK: I was thinking this is basically Nicholas Sparks’ take on Sleeping with the Enemy.
RYAN: Totally. Or J.Lo’s Enough.
CHUCK: There weren’t any surprises. It’s sort of predictable.
RYAN:
There is a little bit of a twist. But then there was an awkward story-cut at the end that felt like they missed filming a scene. It jumps in the story where you can’t connect the dots at one point. That was bad.
CHUCK: I think there will be people out there, especially around Valentine’s Day that wanna see a sappy romantic drama. This is not harmful to anyone. And everyone it it is just that much more pretty than people in real life.
RYAN: [laughs’ Right. And it does fill that void on Valentine’s Day. I’m between skip it and a rental. But let’s be loving and give it a Rental.
