Leave it Nicholas Sparks to write books like "The Notebook", "The Choice", "The Wedding", "Message in a Bottle" and many others that mix happiness with sadness. His kind of literature for the masses have propelled him to the super stardom status that is reserved for the likes of Danielle Steele and those others others that dabble in romance and sorrow. Mr. Sparks probably writes as though he is writing a screenplay that will adapt seamlessly to please the public that love the genre.
"Nights in Rodanthe" reunites Richard Gere and Diane Lane, two of the most photogenic actors around. It is basically a love story that John Peacock and Ann Romano adapted from the novel. It is directed by George C. Wolfe, a distinguished theater man, responsible for presenting a string of excellent plays when he was in charge of New York's Public Theater. He also was the man behind the much better "Lackawnna Blues".
This is a film that plays well with the viewer willing to go along with some of its implausible premise. One knows that the happiness Adrienne Willis and Paul Flanner experience will only be short lived. Dr. Flanner is suffering for the big loss of a patient that shouldn't have died because of an operation that didn't go according to plan. Adrienne has her own demons to fight with her rebellious teen age daughter, a cheating husband and a man that leaves her to make peace with his own, estranged son.
The film is mildly pleasant. Richard Gere does much better in roles in which he is asked to go against the romantic persona in which he has been cast during most of his career. Diane Lane shows signs of maturing to a beautiful forty-something beauty. After all, Ms. Lane has been in front of the cameras since she was a teen ager. The excellent Viola Davis doesn't have much to do. Same goes for Scott Glenn and James Franco. This is basically a film tailor made to show us two beautiful actors doing what they do best.
"Nights in Rodanthe" reunites Richard Gere and Diane Lane, two of the most photogenic actors around. It is basically a love story that John Peacock and Ann Romano adapted from the novel. It is directed by George C. Wolfe, a distinguished theater man, responsible for presenting a string of excellent plays when he was in charge of New York's Public Theater. He also was the man behind the much better "Lackawnna Blues".
This is a film that plays well with the viewer willing to go along with some of its implausible premise. One knows that the happiness Adrienne Willis and Paul Flanner experience will only be short lived. Dr. Flanner is suffering for the big loss of a patient that shouldn't have died because of an operation that didn't go according to plan. Adrienne has her own demons to fight with her rebellious teen age daughter, a cheating husband and a man that leaves her to make peace with his own, estranged son.
The film is mildly pleasant. Richard Gere does much better in roles in which he is asked to go against the romantic persona in which he has been cast during most of his career. Diane Lane shows signs of maturing to a beautiful forty-something beauty. After all, Ms. Lane has been in front of the cameras since she was a teen ager. The excellent Viola Davis doesn't have much to do. Same goes for Scott Glenn and James Franco. This is basically a film tailor made to show us two beautiful actors doing what they do best.