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The Vow promises to win hearts

February 15, 2012
By Asymina Kantorowicz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Director: Michael Sucsy
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum

What would you do if you woke up and couldn’t remember the last five years of your life? What if your own spouse was a stranger and you felt lost in the life you worked so hard to create?

In The Vow, Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum fight this very battle in an attempt to keep a love that refuses to come back alive.

Audiences may remember McAdams from her breakout role in The Notebook, and once again she manages to prove herself as a leading lady. Presenting yet another genuine performance, McAdams is the only true star in the film.

Tatum is no Ryan Gosling, but he manages to pull off the role of McAdams’ love interest. Although he produces a few too many corny lines, Tatum’s character, Leo, makes us believe in his love for his wife through constant patience and devotion. Tatum’s convincing role will leave viewers hoping he can win back his wife’s affection.

The film dives into the plot almost immediately when the two love birds are involved in a car accident that leaves Paige (McAdams) waking up to believe her husband is actually her doctor. Through flashbacks, the audience gets a glimpse into the couple’s heart-warming love story.

When her memory is not recovered, viewers will find themselves rooting for the couple as they partake in a rollercoaster of events and emotion. Leo takes every action he can to make his wife fall in love with him again, while Paige struggles to make sense of it all by running back to her uptight parents.

Not having spoken to her family in years, Paige’s parents try to hold on to their daughter and hope to prevent her from returning to her life with Leo. Paige attempts to rediscover herself, starting from what she last remembers—as a law student engaged to another man, rather than as the free-spirited artist and wife she was before the accident.

Although there are other actors in the film, none of them manage to steal the spotlight from the lovely couple. There is enough chemistry between the McAdams and Tatum to make the story believable. Both stars are valued in this particular genre and together they make an effective team.

You may think this is just another chick flick, but The Vow, which is based on a true story, is a fairly realistic adaptation of a traumatic experience that leaves a newlywed couple figuring out how to get their lives back in order.

The Vow’s release this past weekend came at the perfect time to set the mood for the most romantic day of the year. A word of advice—don’t forget to bring the tissues.

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