Nights in Rodanthe had gotten mixed reviews in my household. I have 17 year old twin daughters. One had read the Nicholas Sparks book and the other hadn't. The one who read the book did not like the movie. The one who hadn't read the book loved the movie. I decided since I hadn't read the book myself that there was a good chance I might enjoy the movie.

I was wrong.

Going in I had not a clue of what the movie plot was. I just knew that it was set in Rodanthe, a town on the coast of North Carolina. Since I am a lifelong resident of NC, it was appealing to me to hear references to and see film of the places I have been before. The appeal stopped there. Not even Richard Gere could rope me back in.

The movie plot was choppy. I often wondered why the film makers thought the characters would do the things that they had them do. It seemed to be missing big parts of the storyline that would lead up to the relationships that were formed. One minute there was no relationship and then the next there was an intense relationship that was nowhere near formed a few minutes before.

The beginning of the movie had me wondering about things that I probably should have known about for the story to flow freely yet they added in information that really didn't help the story along. There was no buildup to a climax and I'm still not real sure of where the climax occured. Many parts seemed cheesy and I found myself hoping they weren't going to have the characters do things that they did anyway.

I know it was supposed to be a love story but I really never felt any "love" between the two main characters. The acting was okay and may have carried well had the film's story been told better by the film makers. I should have at least felt a connection with the children in the movie since I have teenager daughters and a 9 year old son, but I didn't.

I left the theater feeling as though I'd just been involved in a train wreck yet I had no emotional attachment to any of the characters.

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older