The Vow

Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) have been happily married for 4 years. Then they're in a car accident. They're both fine but Paige has completely lost her memory of the previous years--including meeting Leo, falling in love and marrying him. Leo is determined to help her regain her memory but her nasty parents (Sam Neill and Jessica Lange) don't like him and want her to live with them and let Leo go.

I won't lie--I went to see this to see Tatum's butt shot (which lasts all of 12 seconds). It's worth seeing but so is the movie! It's pretty well-done and I was never bored. The movie never gets too syrupy and doesn't try to force the audience to cry. There are some beautiful shots of Chicago and a good music score. Tatum can't act (everybody knows that) but he still is very good in most of his scenes. McAdams is excellent in her role. Also (even better) is that these two play off each other very well and makes you root for them even more.

On the debit side--Neill and Lange are stuck with the evil parents roles and can do little with them. Even worse is Scott Speedman as an ex-fiancé. He looks terrible and doesn't even try to act. The movie moves unsteadily. Scenes start out of nowhere and seem to end before they're finished (I'm assuming there was a lot of prerelease cutting). Still, I liked it and I'm not ashamed to admit that I broke down crying more than once. If you like chick flicks and rom-coms this is for you. I give it a 7.

When I went with my two friends to see this movie, I thought we were in for a ladies night out and a teary chick flick. I was pleasantly surprised. The drama and dialog were very believable and realistic, and it was pleasingly funny in places. The fact that the setting was clearly Chicago without any effort to try and hide street signs and restaurant placards only added to the charm and believability of the movie. Quickly into the film I was wishing I was friends with this couple and could hang out with them and be part of their lives. When the credits started rolling I desired our relationship to continue. O.k. maybe I had a couple of tears, but I would definitely see this movie again and take my husband. After seeing the number of men in the audience who enjoyed it, I think he would feel comfortable attending and glad that he went.

The biggest and most difficult test that a lover goes through. This movie is a lesson about loyalty, love and patience. Leo, the hero of this movie, was patient and gave and sacrificed a lot.

Throughly enjoyable...except for the f*rt gag...And the f*rt gag is worth mentioning because it was foul.

Otherwise, switch off your brain and enjoy the gorgeous Channing Tatum laugh, cry and bare his beautiful buns -- and all in the name of love.

It's a film that doesn't bear much examination. It's a chick flick with a dumb heroine (why are they always artists???) who wouldn't know love unless it smacked her in the gob...which it eventually does.

The reveal where we find out why she originally changed so radically is like: Oh, get over yourself, girlfriend! The punishment hardly fits the crime...unless you're 12.

But who cares. It's a fairytale. And for me it worked.

Today I had the opportunity to see a preview of The Vow with my wife.

We both enjoyed the movie, her a little more than me. I was very surprised to learn that this movie is based on actual events, perhaps this was why it was not just another amnesia movie. Therefore not entirely predictable. The struggles seemed a little abbreviated, but genuine. Leo (the husband) had a noticeable lack of grief, even in the most down point.

This is a great example of a couple facing a great difficulty, particularly a husband's love. But it failed to truly pull deep emotion out of me (and I can get choked up pretty easily).

This is appropriate for most teen and up audiences. All intimation of sex are between a married couple. There is full backside nudity of Tatum Channing, but it fits appropriately in the movie.

My last "negative" point is that it seemed slow, particularly at the beginning. Maybe that's because I watched Mission Impossible last night, but nonetheless it sure felt like it.

I would certainly recommend seeing the movie, but it probably will be just as good as a Blu-ray instead of paying $10+ for a movie ticket.