Nights in Rodanthe

WTF!! Do any of his books/movies end in a happy ending?? The Notebook was good...but sheesh, enough with the depressing endings already. I'm told that he writes about realistic situations that people deal with in real life. Understandable...but sometimes it's nice to see people who have sacrificed their whole lives to only get to a mediocre unhappy time in their lives - to finally find the true meaning of happiness and are able to live it out for the rest of their days. Don't we already know what really happens in real life? Can't we - for one moment (an hour and a half) live vicariously through a movie that ends on a happy note - that gives us hope for our own futures???

Yeah - wah. I know. But for real, I think we need to preface movies that end like this one with a warning. "Beware: No happy ending."

Terrible title for a movie that is not nearly as terrible as some critics have suggested. At a time when there are so many romantic comedies aimed at young viewers, it's no bad thing to have the occasional romantic story that eschews humour and involves characters in middle age - think something along the lines of "Bridges Of Madison County" (both are based on novels).

The (goodlooking) stars are Richard Gere, as a doctor seeking to establish a new relationship with his estranged son in Latin America, and Diane Lane, a mother in a deeply unhappy marriage considering whether to abandon it. The (unusual) setting is the Outer Banks of North Carolina at a time of year when hurricanes are threatened. At times, it's a little silly and sentimental but still worth an evening in front of the television if not a visit to the cinema.

NIGHTS IN RODANTHE brings back to the screen two talented actors in Diane Lane and Richard Gere in a simply beautiful story of a man and a woman hungry for something more in their lives than they have at present. The chemistry between Lane and Gere is magical from the first scene in the film to their last embrace. The locations, beauty of their attraction for one another when it unfolds when they first meet, and the story that follows, and as they begin to know each other with the attraction they feel towards each other is real, is romance that is projected to an audience with tender care. James Franco in another micro role is just the right casting, and the elegance of Lane in combination with the beach house, is a true Fall 2008 film to remember forever, as was THE NOTEBOOK.

I personally think this is the most difficult genre to pull off - romance has to create some magical reality, and some plausibility: we have to believe it could , would happen to them and to us.

Nights partially succeeds in creating some atmosphere and some nice scenes but fails to ignite into magical.

Instead what we get is just too rushed and uses too many clichés - every scene feels like it came from somewhere else - and the sparks are somehow not fireworks but squibs.

It cannot decide whether to be gentle and meditative and mature, or to be unabashedly full-on.

All in all it will be a box office winner given the stars and the lack of other material of its kind - but really this is no classic.

Nights in Rodanthe is based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks and I have read a few of his works which mainly involves 2nd-chance romance w a hint of tragedy behind it. I remembered 'A Walk To Remember', 'The Notebook', 'Message In A Bottle'. Starring Richard Gere & Diane Lane, it's a story about a housewife who just divorced her husband and was helping out her best friend's beach inn when Dr Paul arrived at the inn to stay for 5 days. Both had problems they had to face and through these few days they found each other and fell in love. Unfortunately they had to part but continued to keep in touch the old-fashioned way until... Initially, I was a bit reluctant to even make an effort to go to this movie but since it's Nicholas Sparks, I thought I should give it a chance cos Im no fan of Richard Gere nor Diane Lane. The story is pretty pacey w enough sexual tension between the 2 stars, I love the beach inn though, just what I would picture my dream beach house to be, except not that huge and prob not that close to the sea. Surprisingly I found myself mesmerized by Richard Gere, especially his eyes so I would say for his age, he's still very charming. This story is a tearjerker and even tho Im resistant to tearing, it did squeeze out a few drops and certain parts of the movie so it's still good. Overall, a so-so movie that makes you feel like you want to be in love again the old-fashioned way.