Synopsis:
The movie takes place in North Carolina at a vacation house out of vacation season. Paul, a surgeon from Raleigh, has booked a room while he attends to some extremely difficult personal business in town. Adrienne is filling in as the manager of the house for her friend, who is out of town for the weekend. Adrienne is a separated mom whose husband left her for another woman but now wants her back, and she is seriously entertaining the thought of going back to him. Both characters are dealing with pain, so when a hurricane hits the beach house, they find solace in each other. They quickly conclude what they have is unlike what they’ve experienced before. After the storm, Adrienne goes back to her home and Paul to South America to rekindle his relationship with his son. They are only able to keep in touch by handwritten letters due to the remoteness of Paul’s location. Their bond grows through the letters as they look forward to their reunion.
Impression:
This is based on a Nicolas Sparks story. All stories by Sparks (who also wrote The Notebook) are worth the time for men to better understand what romance is. Although the movie is relatively predictable, Richard Gere and Diane Lane give it a good level of quality. Gere’s character is not a standout “good guy” here. He has a lot of baggage, as does Lane’s character.
50 Dates at 50 Take:
The movie follows the basic romance formula, and it contains one of those magical nights where everything goes right. If you date enough, you’ll also get the chance to experience that. In this movie, it’s at a local crab-cracking party where the locals are cleaning up after the hurricane.
Why You Need to Watch it:
Guys, nobody writes letters these days. Doing so will separate you from the pack. Never, ever underestimate the power of handwritten notes. Be aware, however, that writing letters is a approach that must be properly calibrated. Writing to your girlfriend is romantic, but writing to a woman whom you’ve been out on just a few dates with, or who has ghosted you, puts you into the creepy zone. To better understand this, you’ll need to watch several Nicolas Sparks movies. This movie is also about not settling. 50 Daters don’t settle. They stay the course in their search.
Additional Notes:
A key scene here is Adrienne talking to her daughter about finding the right one: “But there’s another kind of love, Amanda. One that gives you the courage to be better than you are, not less than. That makes you feel anything is possible. I want you to know that you can have that. I want you to hold out for it.” Again, 50 Daters don’t settle.
Official Movie Trailer
Year Released: 2008
