The Vow is basically two movies in one – a sappy Serendipity-esque romance film and a bad cliche-filled melodrama. One works just fine, but the only thing worse than the other is the blending of the two.
The first and more entertaining of the two stories at hand is that of Paige (Rachel McAdams) and Leo (Channing Tatum). They met, fell in love, were married and have hit a bump in the road because of tragedy. After being thrown halfway through a windshield, Paige now has amnesia and can’t remember Leo, their friends or their lifestyle. Leo has to make her fall in love with him all over again. Aww, how cute.
Story number two involves Paige’s past. Unfortunately, The Vow mostly revolves around this story and takes the romance right out of this supposed Valentine’s Day flick. Brace yourself, it’s about to get depressing.
Paige’s last memory is from five years earlier. She was a different person back then, almost like a snotty frat girl. Because of this, her character isn’t even likeable for the majority of the film. Something happened to her in that shrouded period that made her cut all ties with her family, drop out of law school and call off her engagement to Scott Speedman – but since she can’t remember it for herself, her mind is locked in that period of her life. She wants to marry Speedman, go to law school, be around her family and gab with her frat friends. There’s no room for Leo and their marriage.
The romance stuff works. The family stuff is tedious. Girls will love it. Guys, not so much. The one sure thing is that The Vow will ultimately be forgotten. There are plently of romance films out there that are much better than this.
