​FILMS

the best of me

The Best of Me: (Drama): 60 out of 100: If ever there was an overly sentimental chick flick, this would surely be at the top of the pile. The emotions are there for all to see and there's no hiding the fact that it is a glorified soap opera but it somehow stays quite interesting for most of its journey.

James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan play a pair of former high school sweethearts who reunite after 21 years when they return to their hometown due to the death of a very close friend. The story switches between the past and the present with Luke Bracey and Liana Liberato playing their younger selves. It's difficult to embrace the flashbacks especially when Luke Bracey bears no physical resemblance to James Marsden.

Nicholas Sparks has written many of these soppy romance novels and it appears he has this market well-covered. They all follow the same path of love, happiness, tears, death and discovery. The movie is very predictable with overwrought emotions but somehow you become lured into the story by the likeability of the main actors and the development of the plot, although there is some corny dialogue but what do you expect from a soap opera?

Because this is a genuine melodrama, the music perfectly suits the emotions that are played out on the screen. Just about everything in this production has been employed to maximise the schmaltz factor. You might even ask yourself how you could fall into the trap of liking a movie that manipulates your emotions but if you treat this film like a soap opera then you will experience some of the highs and lows that the characters endure.

Starring James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan
(118 minutes)
Parental advice: Adult themes, violence, course language and sex scenes
Additional scene during or after credits: No
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQszhfoP_WI (Movie trailer)

(Reviewed on Thursday 13th November, 2014)