Nights in Rodanthe – Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce Mar 2, 2009, 15:41 GMT

The stars of "Unfaithful" rekindle their screen chemistry in this rich tale of hearts awakenings from the bestseller by Nicholas Sparks ("The Notebook", "Message in a Bottle"). Richard Gere is Paul, a surgeon who long ago unwittingly traded career for family. Diane Lane is Adrienne, a devoted mother trying to move on after her husband\'s infidelity and struggling with his desire to return to their marriage. At a remote inn ...more

Nights in Rodanthe is another predictable romance film based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks – which means you pretty much know how the film is going to end even before you start watching it.

The film sees Richard Gere and Diane Lane back together again, but this time lacking some of the chemistry that made Unfaithful such a good movie.

It was directed by George C. Wolfe (Lackawanna Blues) and features a screenplay by Ann Peacock and John Romano.

The film feels formulaic and predictable from the very start with Gere and Lane playing two characters with failed marriages who meet at bed and breakfast style inn on the beach at Rodanthe right before a hurricane comes ashore.

Lane’s Adrienne Willis is a mom of two kids with a husband that cheated on her but now wants to come home and try again. She isn’t sure if she is willing to take him back, but the kids are more than ready for dad to come home. Of course, Adrienne never told them why dad left so the oldest daughter blames her for the break up.

The kids are going to be spending time with their dad so Adrienne goes to Rodanthe to run her best friend’s inn for the weekend. It is going to be an easy weekend since there is only one guest staying.

Gere’s Dr. Paul Flanner is successful in his medical career, but that success has come with the cost of losing his family. His wife left him, his son (also a doctor) pretty much hates him, and he is being sued over the death of a patient. He comes to Rodanthe to stay at the inn, and meet with the patient’s family. After that, he is headed to South America to try to find his son and rebuild their relationship.

Gere and Lane seem to be instantly drawn to each other (although there is some delays in the romance), and quickly fall deeply in love. This naturally puts some kinks in both of the character’s plans – Gere still wants to go find his son, and Lane now doesn’t want to get back with her cheating husband.

The plot moves along at a predictable pace (if you have seen any other film based on a Nicholas Sparks book you know what is coming), and never strays too far from the established formula.

Gere and Lane do solid work in the film and manage to be believable as a couple in love. Wolfe and Cinematographer Affonso Beato fill the movie with all the romance film trappings (you have to love the hurricane scene) and capture the beauty of the film’s setting (the inn is beautiful and there are plenty of long walks on the beach). 

The problem with the film is the fact that the plot is so familiar. This kind of movie has been done a hundred times before, and has been done better. It just seems to be a retread of other Sparks stories (a little bit of The Notebook with the letters and a little bit of Message in a Bottle with the ending).

The film looks fantastic on Blu-ray with the clear ocean and white beach scenes, and the color of the inn. Most of the time, Blu-ray’s picture is praised for the action films like The Dark Knight, but Nights in Rodanthe shows the format can even help a struggling romance flick. Although I got very bored with the film’s story, I kept watching because of the quality of the picture and the film’s setting.

The Blu-ray comes loaded with the kinds of features you would expect from this type of film. There are several looks at the making of the movie, a look at the film’s music (which also helps sell the movie) and singer/songwriter Emmylou Harris. The Blu-ray also features a profile on Sparks (who has become the king of the romance genre).

Fans of Sparks and romances will no doubt find enough to enjoy in Nights in Rodanthe, but it might feel like just another predictable love story to those who aren’t diehard lovers of the genre or Sparks.