There is little denying that when a pair of silver screen superstars are asked to play each other’s lovers not twice but three times (the first two times in The Cotton Club and Unfaithful ), there is definitely an on-screen chemistry that is working in their favour. Richard Gere and Diane Lane are no exception in their new film Nights in Rodanthe and somehow manage (with the help of some breathtaking cinematography ) to carry an entire film on that chemistry alone.
Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, the same man who penned the classic romantic tales The Notebook, A Walk to Remember and Message in a Bottle, the film version succeeds in being everything that a Sparks novel is – weepy, emotional, and heartwrenching. In other words, your boyfriend’s worst nightmare.
Aiming to escape the turmoil that has become her life Adrienne Willis (Lane ) retreats to the tiny North Carolina coastal town of Rodanthe to tend to her best friend’s inn for the weekend, while she tries to decide whether to take back her unfaithful husband after a seven month separation.
Despite the fact that it is off-season, Adrienne has one guest Paul Flanner (Gere ), a doctor from the city who is attempting to deal with domestic issues of his own and reconcile with his estranged son. In true romantic fashion, however, a storm is a-brewing. Literally. And as the pair get caught up in a turbulent hurricane they turn to one another for comfort and, inevitably, fall in love.
Enjoyable in parts, unremarkable in others. It has cringe-worthy dialogue and love scenes that at times cause a little bubble of completely inappropriate laughter to rise in your throat, but all the same it has some strikingly beautiful moments that almost make the film worth the price of admission. When it does work, it is usually thanks to Lane who once again manages to make her character not only believable but also likeable. Gere unfortunately is not so lucky. All this aside, bring the tissues, there is something about the Sparks-adapted films that almost make it essential to cry. Even if it is just for your date who will probably cry with relief when it is over.
