A suspenseful story about a young woman’s struggle to love again, “Safe Haven” is based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks, the best-selling author behind the hit* films “The Notebook” and “Dear John.”
The mystery plot recalls a 1991 Julia Roberts movie, “Sleeping With the Enemy,” in which the heroine fled an abusive husband and tried to reinvent herself in a brand-new community. In this case our heroine, Katie (Julianne Hough), runs away from a terrible marriage in Boston, boards a bus and, on a whim*, gets off in a small seaside community in North Carolina. There she meets a sensitive widower, Alex (Josh Duhamel), raising two young children on his own. Because of their troubled histories, they approach each other warily*, but there’s little doubt about where their relationship is headed. Before long, however, Katie’s past threatens her newfound bliss*.
The first problem with the film is that the romance is too flat. To jack up the tension*, director Lasse Hallstrom keeps showing scenes of a grim*, hard-drinking Boston cop (David Lyons) determined to track Katie down.
A related problem is the casting. The best Sparks movie, “The Notebook,” had a strong cast. The actors in “Safe Haven” are not in the same league.
The film isn’t visually memorable. It does, however, have one sentimental* surprise at the end that testifies to* Sparks’ storytelling skills. His fans no doubt will swoon over* this tear-jerking finale, even while critics stare at the screen with jaws open in disbelief. (SD-Agencies)
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