Though I can’t claim to have read any of Nicholas Sparks’ books, I can say without a doubt that this might be one of his finest works to date after having had the privilege of viewing a few of his previous big-screen releases such as The Note Book and Dear John, to name a few. This latest effort seems to be at the top of the list and is well orchestrated by his previous collaborator, Director Lasse Hallstrom. Sparks, writer/producer, seems to be true to his art with this story that is somewhat reminiscent of that older Julia Roberts movie, “Sleeping with the Enemy.” I really liked how he displays the fearful journey from an abusive, sickening world to a relationship of love, peace and tranquility. I was left in awe as each character was introduced and seamlessly transformed from one state of being to another. Many of which dealt with tremendous heart-wrenching challenges and feats to overcome.
Needless to say Sparks seems to be a brand as well known as Coca-Cola, Mercedes Benz, or Microsoft. It’s a good bet that he would deliver an efficient, easy to follow story that is most definitely geared toward a female audience (That’s not a sexist statement; just Google the stats on the percentage of women readers). It seems that his stories will always feature certain elements such as a “lost” boy/man and girl/woman will meet by chance in a beautiful setting on the North Carolina coast or a South Carolina setting. Love will blossom and eventually be kindled after a number of diversions along the path to true love. It is pretty obvious that this is Sparks’ happy place.
Josh Duhamel headlines this latest release and is a very likable character for the most part. His delivery and timing seemed to flow naturally without much effort and offered up great chemistry with his sexy co-star. I think the sloppy execution in the last 10 minutes of the film was cause for a questionable performance, but I was overall very pleased with him. He simply makes it look easy to be enveloped by the damsel in distress. READ FULL SAFE HAVEN REVIEW >>