I'm quite the film buff and love nothing more than a wedding related film.*
So when I saw a trailer for a new romantic drama called ‘The Vow' I was rather excited…
Well, the universe must have realised just how excited I was (or saw my post) because recently I was invited to attend a screening of The Vow at the swanky Soho Hotel in London.
The perks of staying up all night writing about weddings eh?!
The story goes a little something like this…
Record producer boy meets kooky, free spirited sculptor girl and they fall in love.
They get married in a ‘hit and run' ceremony at an art gallery. The girl wears blush pink. (Kudos!)
Soon after their wedding, they are involved in a tragic car accident.
Girl wakes up from a coma and she has no memory of the last 5 years of her life, including the boy.
Her husband is a stranger to her but he tries his damned hardest to make her fall in love with him all over again.
There are various obstacles in the way, including overbearing WASPy parents, a smarmy ex fiance (who the girl still thinks of as her current fiance!) a sister's wedding to organise, and the fact that the girl of 5 years ago is very different to the girl the boy fell in love with.
Throughout the movie you can't help but wonder:
Will the boy ever win back his wife?
Can Channing Tatum do a movie without taking his shirt off?
And just how many romantic cliches can you squeeze into one movie?
Well, you'll just have to wait and see!
My Verdict:
The Vow has all the ingredients for a full on, crying into your popcorn, tale of unconditional love and loss. Rachel McAdams of The Notebook (one of my all time favourite movies) fame alongside Channing Tatum of ‘Dear John' (the newest member of my top romantic, chick flick films) make a very cute couple and the fact that it's inspired by true events only adds to the ‘weepie' factor.
But despite all of that, I barely reached for the Kleenex. (Which is odd coming from the girl who tears up at pet rescue adverts). Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed The Vow ~ it was a sweet, tender movie with some genuinely romantic and funny moments. And I was rooting for Channing Tatum's lovable, charming character (Leo) to win back his love throughout the whole movie. However, it just didn't pull on my heart strings the way I expected it to and had more of a light, ‘rom-com' feel to it.
photos courtesy of Sony Pictures
Which is no bad thing. And perhaps why this movie is billed as the perfect Valentine's day date movie ~ it's not gut wrenching, tear jerking drama but it is a very sweet, entertaining movie. Who wants to be balling their eyes out on a date anyway? The Vow could just as easily make a fun ‘girly' movie ~ Channing is quite the hottie, after all. And if you're anything like me, you'll love a bit of unashamedly cheesy romance!
This movie scratches the surface of some very interesting questions surrounding marriage, identity and change ~ What would you do if you woke up to find your partner a stranger? How would you cope if your partner had no memory of your lives together? Is that old adage ‘better to have loved and lost than never loved at all' really true?
After watching the movie, I wanted to find out more about the real couple and the real story behind The Vow. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for them to rebuild their relationship from scratch but they are proof that love conquers all. In his vows read during their second wedding, the real ‘boy' said:
Only one thing can surpass forever the painful events we have felt, and that is my love for you.
Now that brought tears to my eyes.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the film. Are you excited to see it? If you've already seen it, what did you think?
*See my Top 10 Wedding Films of all time here.
