THE VOW

RYAN: We love us some Rachel McAdams and thus were very much looking forward to screening this film.

CAROLINE: Dying for it! I was hoping for the perfect Valentine’s Day romantic drama… but I didn’t really get it.

RYAN: I actually really liked this movie; maybe even loved it. I have to let it simmer a bit. Rachel certainly elevated it. She looks gorge and delivers an emotional performance. I could feel the confusion her character experiences just by her facial expressions. She’s good.

CAROLINE: This just in, she’s a great actress. I just couldn’t believe she was in this cheese-fest of a movie. Seriously, that was the first thought I had when she appeared on screen – “Rachel, you’re better than this!” She needs to step up her game and move on.

RYAN: And while it’s not news that stripper-gone-actor Channing Tatum is easy on the eyes, I really felt he was out of his league opposite Rachel. His narration was painful and some scenes were amateurish in comparison to his co-stars.

CAROLINE: Oh totally. I think that’s a big part of why I was like, “Rachel, why this movie?” I dig Channing, but he’s nowhere near her caliber. Her role could have been easily cast with some up-and-comer. But Rachel did give it a certain depth, I suppose. It’s a tough role to play in many aspects what with the memory loss and all.

RYAN: LBH, Channing still looks good naked, as is evidenced in one scene.

CAROLINE: Yeah, his buttocks loom large on the big screen.

RYAN: I love Jessica Lange. Loved her on TV’s American Horror Story and I enjoyed her brand of crazy-face in this movie too.

CAROLINE: I can’t decide if she looks like a dude at this point. Also, I’ve never seen anyone with so much plastic surgery still look so old and wrinkly! Sam Neill is also in it as Rachel’s dad.

RYAN: What did you think of Scott Speedman?

CAROLINE: So. Freaking. Hot. And perfectly cast as the sorta jerk.

RYAN: He looks like a poor man’s Brad Cooper to me kinda.

CAROLINE: I can see that. He wishes he had Bradley Cooper’s career!

RYAN: I also noticed more what wardrobe said about character in this movie. It’s very cleverly styled.

CAROLINE: I hear you. I was sort of annoyed by Rachel and Channing’s quirky friends in the movie. And even though I loved the love story of how the two main characters met, their boho-ness didn’t really make sense to me, and I found it sort of annoying. But then it all starts to make sense as the movie progresses. And yes, wardrobe is a big part of it.

— BOTTOM LINE —

RYAN: OK, I’m standing by my gut. I loved this movie. It was just absolutely heartbreaking at times and I was rooting for love all the way through. I didn’t feel the need to cry and am fine with that but I think the romantic drama is the new romantic comedy in that there’s just more realism to the story. Rom coms are so predictable and cheesy lately that I found this refreshing.

CAROLINE: I so wanted to cry and I didn’t. This movie should have made me cry, but honestly the material wasn’t good enough. I love Rachel, but the casting of the two leads was just so mismatched, talent-wise. The love story was great in many ways and it definitely made me want to root for them as a couple, but ultimately, this movie wasn’t that satisfying. I’d like to see Rachel take her career more seriously; between this and Morning Glory, she’s not cutting it for me lately. But maybe she took this role ‘cuz she just wanted to make out with Channing Tatum.

RYAN: Honey, can you blame her?

— RATING —