'The Vow'

'The Vow' (PG-13) (2 STARS)

Writers: Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein and Jason Katims
Director: Michael Sucsy
Actors: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Scott Speedman, Jessica Lange, Sam Neil

Romantic comedies have been terrible lately save for the occasional "500 Days of Summer" and now you can add romantic dramas to the list. Ever since "The Notebook" we are getting sappy tearjerkers and there is nothing wrong with that. That is if the movie earns it's tears and our emotional connection to the characters. "The Vow" continues in the tradition of movies like "Dear John" and "The Last Song". Thank you Nicholas Sparks for this onslaught of boring trifles! These are silly, drawn out, so polite, dull movies that have no pulse. "The Vow" is based on a true story but I feel that the real life story probably had let's just say more life to it.

The first half hour of this movie is horrible but actually "The Vow" settles down after that and gets better and then it just lays there.
There are some beautiful uses of the wonderful city of Chicago here and Rachel McAdams outshines everyone, without her I would have walked out half way through. McAdams and Channing Tatum are Paige and Leo who get married after the most lackluster portrayl of wooing I have ever seen in a movie.
We see how they get together after the movie starts out with a tragic accident. A truck plows into their car and Paige flies out the front window in an awful and tasteless slow motion shot. Paige wakes up in the hospital and can't remember her past life and thinks Leo is her doctor, a scene that made me laugh.

The movie then gets a little better as Paige gets out of the hospital and Leo tries to make her fall in love with him all over again. It will be a tough assignment and even though I didn't believe anything the movie told me for a second McAdams makes it work. The second half is tolerable but the movie gets so dull and goes through the motions with plot developments that are so predictable and goofy. They involve Paige's parents played by Jessica Lange and Sam Neil who plays the requisite evil and meddling father. How the parents treat Paige and Leo after the accident is not believable for a second. Oh and there is the old boyfriend of Paige's before her and Leo played by Scott Speedman and boy what a boring character.

Rachel McAdams is actually the only actor pulling her weight and that is because her character seems to be the best written one. Which brings me to Channing Tatum who I like and I think is under rated. The only thing is these movies are not meant for him. He is woefully miscast and it is not his fault. I like Tatum in movies that require action and comedy or romantic movies that have something extra like the surprisingly good "Step Up". He was the best thing about "The Dilemma" and looks great in the new "21 Jump Street" movie which requires action and comedy. With "The Vow" and "Dear John" he just stands there and mopes and whispers and looks all doe eyed. I wanted to wake him up but I had to wake myself up first.

P.S. I do love the opening shot of Paige and Leo exiting The Music Box Theatre on a snowy night though. Better movies than "The Vow" are "The Notebook" and "Step Up".