The Best of Me

Usually the genre of romantic dramas are fraught with sentimentality, mushiness and characters that have mediocre chemistry from first frame to last, but every time I see a romantic drama that is based on a Nicholas Sparks' novel, it is a well delineated story with interesting characters that actually connect. Wow, what a concept! And "The Best of Me" is one of those dramas that is set apart from the usual fare we see all too often.

This tells the story of Dawson Cole (James Marsden) and Amanda (Michelle Monaghan), two former high school sweethearts who find themselves reunited after 21 years apart, when they return to their small hometown for the funeral of a beloved friend, Tuck (Gerald McRaney) their bittersweet reunion reignites the love they've never forgotten, but soon they discover the forces that drove them apart 21 years ago live on, posing even more serious threats today. Spanning decades, this epic love story captures the enduring power of our first true love, and the wrenching choices we face when confronted with elusive second chances.
To better understand what actually happened to Dawson and Amanda, this film is presented with a series of flashbacks where younger Dawson (Luke Bracey) and younger Amanda (Liana Liberato) meet and subsequently get to know one another. After a point, a series of events occur causing this separation of the two of them.

Others to round out the cast are Sebastian Arcelus as Frank, Amanda's present day husband, Jon Tenny as Harvey Collier, Sean Bridgers as Tommy Cole, Robert William Mello as Ted Cole, Hunter Burke as Abee, Robby Rasmussen as Bobby/Aaron, Schuyler Fisk as April, Clarke Peters as Morgan Dupree, Caroline Goodall as Evelyn and Ian Nelson as Jared.

This was directed by veteran Michael Hoffman ("Promised Land" '87, "Soapdish" '91, "One Fine Day" '96, "A Midsummer's Night Dream" '99, "The Emperor's Club" '02, "Game 6" '05, "The Last Station" '09, "Gambit" '12) plus others. The pacing was spot on, especially considering there was a huge difference in time where pacing can become a bit confusing. Also his characters weren't weak, unlike other characters in similar genres. It was written by Mills Goodloe and Will Fetters based no the novel by Sparks ("Message in a Bottle" '99, "A Walk to Remember" '02, "The Notebook" '04, "Nights in Rodanthe" '08, "Dear John" '10, "The Last Song" '10, "The Lucky One" '12, "Safe Haven" '13). Other than a few inaccuracies within the script, i.e. How could Dawson look so different 20+ years ago, but his brothers didn't seem to change in looks at all?, this was a solid film. A couple of things where the continuity was off also occurred, but these being small, the impact of the film was still spot on. The best thing about films based on Sparks' novels is the they usually do not end all tied up in a neat Hollywood bow. They, as this one too, have a somewhat bittersweet ending which is the way life is much of the time.

If you like a true dramatic love story with a twist that you clearly don't expect, this is definitely for you. It has Sparks' name stamped all over it, but with this particular genre, that is definitely a much needed ingredient.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                Rated: PG-13                              117mins.