report the vow

When it comes to romantic movies there's no denying director Nick Cassavetes set the bar pretty high with The Notebook. While men may roll their eyes at the thought of snuggling up on the couch to watch Ryan Gosling row Rachel McAdams in a boat across a river amid hundreds of swans there are few women for whom the Nicholas Sparks adaptation doesn't appear in their top 10 all-time weepies. Well, ladies, here's another to add to the list - The Vow, about a newlywed couple recovering from a car accident one snowy night that leaves wife Paige with severe amnesia. When Paige (McAdams again, proving she's the go-to girl for romantic dramas) wakes up from her coma, not only does she not recognise her husband, Leo (Channing Tatum), her last memory is of being engaged to another man, hot-shot attorney Jeremy (Scott Speedman). While his wife tries to remember why she is estranged from her parents (played by Sam Neill and Jessica Lange) and has dropped out of university and a promising career in law to become an artist, Leo goes to great lengths to reboot his relationship with his one true love. But when his best efforts to make his wife fall in love with him again appear fruitless, he is forced to confront the very real possibility of having to let go and move on with his life. It's wouldn't be far off the mark to say Michael Sucsy's debut feature is a kind of mashup of The Notebook and the Adam Sandler romantic comedy 50 First Dates. But there's something a bit different about The Vow, a film loosely based on the story of real-life US couple Kim Carpenter and his wife, Krickitt. While not devastatingly sad, nor particularly funny, the less-than-formulaic plot ensures those who are not aware of the Carpenters' story never quite know how the couple's relationship is going to pan out. There is an underlying sweetness to the film, thanks largely to the chemistry shared by McAdams and Tatum, who between them light up the screen. The pair are so convincing we are able to overlook the weaknesses in the lopsided narrative - not to mention the few too many corny exchanges - and commit to The Vow.