Review: 'The Best of Me', Starring Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden

Without fail, it's guaranteed that we get a new Nicholas Sparks film every year. It's like he cranks these suckers out in his sleep. The last few of the films based on his books have been abysmal to say the least. (Safe Haven and The Lucky Ones come immediately to mind). They're usually the same kinds of characters. Throw in a small river town, some sexual tension, angst, and voila, a bona fide Sparks work has emerged. The Best of Me is not the best of his book-to-film adaptations, but it is most certainly better than its several predecessors, if only because it's at least better acted. 

In present day, Dawson Cole (James Marsden) is an oil rig worker when an accident lands him back on solid ground. "A miracle" is what the doctor calls his life, seeing as how he survived an explosion and a 100-foot fall into the ocean. Dawson, who's not a man willing to

believe in destiny, begins to believe that he survived for a reason. He's drawn back to his hometown after the loss of Tuck (Gerald McRaney), a father-figure and guardian to Dawson from his past. He has to face his regrets, his past guilt over a past accident, and his violent father (Sean Bridgers). 

Amanda (Michelle Monaghan) has been married for 18 years, her son's about to begin college, and her marriage is far from being anywhere near the definition of happy (whatever that definition might be). She's given up a lot of dreams, but is also drawn back to her hometown after the death of Tuck. This is where she ends up facing her old high school boyfriend (surprise, surprise) after 21 years apart. Their unexpected reunion brings sadness, hope, and a reevaluation of their lives and are reminded of what they'd lost and of how they bring out the best in each other. 

If you go into this movie with even a hint of high expectations, you will be utterly and completely disappointed. But if you're very aware of the kind of film this is in advance and you've set very low expectations, then you might find it decently enjoyable. It won't blow you away. There are some plot points that are either irrelevant or contrived, but given the fact that the trailers made it out to seem like it was The Notebook part 2, you might be a little relieved that it isn't. 

While Sparks always follows formula when it comes to his writing, The Best of Me is at least semi-entertaining, especially if you're a sucker for the romance genre. There isn't anything breathtaking about it (except for maybe the garden scenes with that gorgeous tree in the background) and a lot of it feels like we're following the same beaten path, but James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan seem to make the best of their cheesy lines and talk about destiny. Their chemistry is palpable and while the film is melodramatic, at least it knows it is and generally tends to stay within its own boundaries. 

If you sit there and think about this movie's plot for too long (regardless of how simple it is), you will start to find holes in it, so don't bother trying. Any attempt will give you a headache and make you question Sparks's fictional world of too-in-love people and the medical system. One of the film's major flaws, however, comes in the fact that the actors who play the younger versions of Dawson and Amanda (Luke Bracey and Liana Liberaton,

respectively) don't look a thing like their older counterparts. Sometimes, it almost feels like the film is telling two completely different character stories. At first, the transition is a little jarring and the rest of the scenes which come after take a little getting used, but the younger actors do a good enough job.

All in all, and in comparison to Nicholas Sparks's other film adaptations, The Best of Me isn't all bad. If you're really into these kinds of films, you'll want to check it out because you'll probably find it entertaining, cheese and all. It does have themes of regret and talk of life's lost ambitions, which is nice. There's also a lot of talk about destiny, which gets annoying, but the romance is definitely there and it's still sweet and doesn't feel contrived in comparison to its predecessors. You'll see the ending coming a mile away, but as far as romances go, this one isn't terrible (if we are to only rate it based on the world of Sparks, whose films seem to have their own genre). This movie will only make you roll your eyes a couple of times for its cheesy moments, but at least you won't give yourself a headache doing it the entire film. 

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Box Office: 'Fury' Steamrolls to #1 with $23.5M; 'Dear White People, 'Birdman' Both Open Strong

1. Fury- $23.5M
When was the last time we had a big Hollywood war movie? It's been awhile, and apparently audiences were eager to see Brad Pitt in an R-rated war flick like Fury, as the film opened with $23.5M, basically hitting all the projections. While the $68M movie was largely sold on Brad Pitt back on a war footing for the first time since Inglourious Basterds, the strong debut is also a feather in the cap of David Ayer, the director best known for cop dramas like End of Watch and Sabotage. As he pushes ahead to direct the DC Comics adaptation Suicide Squad, this should go a long way in establishing him as a director capable of painting on a larger canvas.
2. Gone Girl- $17.8M/$107M
Another solid hold for David Fincher's Gone Girl, moving past the $100M in week 3 and totally $181M worldwide. And just as it hurt the chances of success for The Judge last week, I think it may have done the same to The Best of Me's debut. More on that later.
3. The Book of Life- $17M
For my money the best animated film of the year, 20th Century Fox's Latin-themed The Book of Life opened strong with $17M. The $50M film had the backing of producer Guillermo Del Toro, and a number of popular celebrity voices in Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Ice Cube, and Diego Luna, along with many popular Mexican entertainers. It's been a strong year for movies geared at Latin audiences and The Book of Life is just the latest example, but it also saw benefit from an ad campaign that emphasized how different it was from the familiar projects by other studios. Sometimes audiences do reward movies that dare to be different.
4. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- $12M/$36.8M
5. The Best of Me- $10.2M
Opening with a scant $10.2M was The Best of Me, the latest melodramatic romance adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. This is actually the ninth film based on the author's work, and it's also the lowest-debuting of the bunch, which hopefully means people are getting tired of them because they're all telling the same story but with different white people. And yeah, that is a factor in today's multicultural society where diversity is seen as a virtue; Sparks' films seem antiquated by comparison. I hesitate to blame stars Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden because Sparks adaptations have never needed big stars to be a hit. Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough starred in Safe Haven and that nearly broke $100M. The bigger problem may be competition, with Gone Girl locking down much of the "date night" audience. Whether this is the start of a trend we'll find out soon enough because two Sparks adaptations are on the way in The Longest Ride and The Choice, both with essentially the same plot. Ugh.
6. Dracula Untold- $9.8M/$40.7M
7. The Judge- $7.94M/$26.8M
8. Annabelle- $7.92M/$74.1M
9. The Equalizer- $5.4M/$89.1M
10. The Maze Runner- $4.5M/$90.8M

Opening in limited release were two of this season's most anticipated films. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's meta-comedy Birdman opened in four theaters and banked $415K, while Justin Simien's satire on race, Dear White People, made $344K at only 11 locations. Not bad for both, and they'll likely keep up the pace upon expansion in the next few weeks.

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Lady Antebellum Help Love Survive in Trailer for 'The Best of Me'

Earlier this week we learned the eleventh schmaltzy adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel was in the works with a movie titled The Choice. It's basically a carbon copy of his other cheesy work, but guys have a lot more of this stuff to contend with before that film arrives. Before The Longest Ride hits theaters early next year, true love will be put to the test in The Best of Me, and if the film wasn't cheesy enough already the latest trailer features a new song by Lady Antebellum.

James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan play actors who should make wiser career choices old flames who saw their relationship destroyed by meddling townsfolk 20 years ago, but now are reunited for the funeral of an old friend. And Marsden's character apparently survives an oil rig explosion, which triggers a flashback confirming his true feelings for her. There will be lots of fighting, kissing in the rain, and Marsden grinning like the most handsome madman ever. Basically, this looks terrible and the track by Lady Antebellum is overbearing as Hell.

Directed by Michael Hoffman with Luke Bracey (The November Man) and Liana Libertado co-starring, The Best of Me opens October 17th. Why not just push it back a couple of weeks and go for Halloween where it belongs?

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James Marsden Joins 'The Best of Me', Replacing Paul Walker

Today must be the day other studios besides Universal figured out how they were going to recover from the loss of Paul Walker. Earlier today we learned that Rupert Friend had taken over the lead role in Agent 47, and now a replacement has been found for The Best of Me, the Nicholas Sparks adaptation Walker was set to star in.

Deadline reports James Marsden has been offered the starring role in the film, to be co-written and directed by Michael Hoffman.  Originally published in 2011, the story centers on former lovers in a small North Carolina town, who went their separate ways after events tore their relationship apart. Now 25 years later they are brought back together by the funeral for a mentor, who left behind a note that forces them to confront the past.

So basically this sounds like every other Sparks story, but we all knew that already, didn't we? Originally planned for this October, The Best of Me will probably arrive next year.

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Michelle Monaghan Finds 'The Best of Me'; Catalina Sandino Moreno is 'Incarnate'; Gabriel Basso Joins 'Barely Lethal'

* You'll be shocked, shocked I tell you, to know that another Nicholas Sparks adaptation is on the way. Actually we learned about The Best of Me a few months ago, and now it has Michelle Monaghan as its leading lady. Directed by Michael Hoffman (The Last Station), the film centers on two former lovers "from opposite sides of the tracks" who rekindle their relationship years later when a friend's funeral brings them back together. What's the saying? "We accept the love we think we deserve"? Well, the same goes for acting roles. Monaghan deserves better than this. [THR]

* Rosario Dawson has dropped out of Incarnate, the indie horror starring Aaron Eckhart as an unconventional exorcist who meets his match in a demon-possessed little boy. In to replace her is another extremely talented actress, Catalina Sandino Moreno, who is probably best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in Maria Full of Grace. Filming is set to begin next month with Brad Peyton directing. [THR]

* The Kings of Summer continues to be a great launching pad for its three principle stars. Moises Arias has a key role in Ender's Game; Nick Robinson recently joined Jurassic World; and now Gabriel Basso has signed on to the action comedy, Barely Lethal. He'll play the wild best friend to Hailee Steinfeld, a teen assassin who fakes her own death and tries to attend a normal high school. Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Alba, and Sophie Turner co-star in the Kyle Newman-directed film. [TheWrap]

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Wes Bentley Goes 'Interstellar'; James McAvoy Builds 'Frankenstein'; Michael Hoffman Directs 'The Best of Me'

* You have to give it up to Christopher Nolan. He's always been able to secure top notch stars for his films, and Interstellar is certainly no different. As of now he's secured the talents of Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, Casey Affleck, Ellen Burstyn and John Lithgow for the ambitious sci-fi film. Not a slouch in the bunch, really. But when it comes to the supporting cast, Nolan is still shooting for the stars with Mackenzie Foy, Bill Irwin and Topher Grace on board. And now the latest to head into space with them is Wes Bentley, continuing his comeback that began with his awesomely-mustached performance in The Hunger Games. Of course, we have no info on his role, because the only information out there about the film is that it centers on a team of explorers traveling through wormholes on some sort of heroic mission. Interstellar takes off on November 7th 2014.

* As James McAvoy continues to duel Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier in X-men: Days of Future Past, he's not letting that distract him from adding one more unexpected film to his crowded slate. This year we've seen him branch out in truly inspiring ways, starring in Trance, the crime flick Welcome to the Punch, and later on we'll see him in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby and Irvine Welsh's Filth. And now he's won the role of Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein, beating out the previously rumored contenders Toby Kebbell and Jack Huston. He'll join Daniel Radcliffe, co-starring as Igor, in an update on the Mary Shelley classic penned by Max Landis and directed by Paul McGuigan.

* Ready for another Nicholas Sparks adaptation? Well, tough if you aren't because they keep making money so...enjoy! Michael Hoffman (The Last Station) will direct and rewrite the script for The Best of Me, another deep south romance following two lovers from opposite sides of the tracks. No seriously, the plot synopsis literally says they're "from opposite sides of the tracks". >sigh<  Twentyfive years after the couple splits up after high school, they are reunited in their North Carolina hometown for their mentor's funeral, discovering that he left behind instructions that reveal deeply held secrets and help rekindle their passion.

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