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FILM DETAILS

Certificate PG

Cast Richard Gere Diane Lane James Franco Scott Glenn Christopher Meloni Viola Davis.

Directors George C Wolfe.

Screenwriters Ann Peacock John Romano.

Running Time 96 minutes

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Nights In Rodanthe
Hankies at the ready...

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Plot
Minding a friend’s remote seaside inn, vulnerable abandoned wife Adrienne (Lane) welcomes sole guest Paul (Gere), a curt city doctor on an unhappy personal mission. His arrival coincides with a hurricane warning, forcing the two to batten the hatches and draw together in what becomes a life-altering encounter.

Review

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This date movie for the mature comes with a hanky alert. Bestselling author Nicholas Sparks is one of the rare male romance novellists whose popular weepies evidently do it for men as well as women, across an undeniably impressive age range. Films previously adapted from his books include Message In A Bottle, The Notebook and teen tearjerker favourite A Walk To Remember. For those not up to speed, it’s practically obligatory that there be crashing waves, flowery love letters and flashbacks involved. One can also anticipate an uplifting expression of faith in second chances, and in the healing empowerment of true lurve.

This one offers middle-aged people of well above average gorgeousness - silver fox Gere and the thinking man’s 40something sensitive beauty Lane, comfortably teamed in their third film together.

The plot is so it beyond formulaic it doesn’t bear going into. If you don’t know everything that’s going to happen in this before it actually transpires on screen you have definitely picked the wrong genre movie. Adrienne has a straying ex (Meloni) who wants her back, a sulky, squawking teen (Mae Whitman) hectoring her, and a small boy fitting the usual bespectacled, asthmatic kid bill - who provide her conflict. Dr. McDreamy Sr. has to confront the bitter widower (Glenn) of a patient he lost, so there’s his crisis of conscience and explanation for being in the middle of nowhere. A curiously unbilled James Franco is Gere’s estranged surgeon son, who has gone off to escape furious father-son flashbacks by doing good works in Ecuador, where we know we will meet up with him again.

All of Sparks’ novels are set in his native North Carolina and the film benefits from using the specific location on the wild Outer Banks, with a preposterously picturesque inn and elusive wild horses who put in an appearance on cue. Distinguished theatre director Wolfe marks his film debut by running riot with production design, packing in cute Americana and idiosyncratic objets d’art. His trump card is Diane Lane, who is so fine she makes you cry even while scorning the blatant manipulation that’s forced you to scrabble in your pocket for that wadded old tissue there somewhere.

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Average user rating for Nights In Rodanthe

How is this worth the 3 stars? here are my thoughts: A divorced woman (Diane Lane) is gonna take care of the small hotel of her best friend. While she`s there, the only customer turns out to be Richard Gere... You can see from miles away how the story is gonna turn out, right from the moment Richard Gere shows up. On itself that isn`t really a problem, a predictable movie isn`t the worst thing in the world. Except when it`s being executed as it is here. Extremely slow, way too stretched o... More

Posted by TheGodfather at 20:37, 17 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

I don't rate Richard Gere as an actor, however, when he works with Diane Lane, something happens and they share a great chemistry. My heart sank with the opening credits when I saw this is based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks; the fact that this is a weepie had bypassed me completely. As such, it delivers. I would have liked it more had I watched this on a Sunday afternoon. It's not bad but it's not great, either. ... More

Posted by smila darcy at 16:06, 12 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

L: Starscream Not my thing but it was ok. My main reason for watching was the lovely Diane Lane. One of the other highlights was the stunning location it was set in. 3/5 sp; Here here! Diane is cool. ... More

Posted by MooseTheDude at 10:42, 12 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

Not my thing but it was ok. My main reason for watching was the lovely Diane Lane. One of the other highlights was the stunning location it was set in.   3/5 ... More

Posted by Starscream at 23:08, 11 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

L: Baby Bear Mmmm, I have never ridden a horse or had a bit of pash in a thunderstorm .... Do you think they may revoke my membership ? sp; You need to sort that out - how about snogging on a horse in a thunderstorm - 2 birds, 1 stone   ... More

Posted by Groovy Mule at 23:32, 09 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

Mmmm, I have never ridden a horse or had a bit of pash in a thunderstorm ....   Do you think they may revoke my membership ? p;     ... More

Posted by Baby Bear at 19:00, 09 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

I saw the trailer before Appaloosa and I have to say this looks like the most predictable type of lazy filmmaking of the sort that makes me despair and gives the term "chick flick" a bad name.  Movie making by focus group and committee to produce a film marketed solely for one demographic.   If you are a woman of a certain age (that is exactly the phrase I was looking for Baby Bear) who went weak at the knees for Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia and are dismayed that th... More

Posted by Groovy Mule at 17:32, 09 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

L: kargon Saw a trailer last night. One word. HELL NO! sp; Where man ? What channel ? ... More

Posted by MooseTheDude at 15:02, 09 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

This kind of stuff is aimed at women, like me, of a certain age ( you know it is....).   I won't be watching it..............           ... More

Posted by Baby Bear at 14:52, 09 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

Saw a trailer last night. One word. HELL NO! ... More

Posted by kargon at 14:48, 09 October 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Rethink

L: tigerlynny Actually I'm going to give it one more star because it wasn't quite as awful as Blindness. At least I laughed at Nights in Rodanthe; Blindness made me wish I were dead. sp; I don't think you're talking about the same movie.   And, I don't know how anyone can say that Diane Lane got the recognition she deserved. She was always the overlooked co-star. Even her Oscar nomination for "Unfaithful" was buried. A shame.    ... More

Posted by MooseTheDude at 12:09, 09 October 2008 | Report This Post

Rethink

Actually I'm going to give it one more star because it wasn't quite as awful as Blindness. At least I laughed at Nights in Rodanthe; Blindness made me wish I were dead. ... More

Posted by tigerlynny at 16:55, 08 October 2008 | Report This Post

Are you being serious!! I am no way a 'chick flick' 'date movie' kind of gal, but I was persuaded to see this by my very 'date movie' kind of friend. Let's just say that we place this film in a new genre of comedy. The film was so laughably bad that it actually became good. An thoroughly enjoyable experience for all the wrong reasons! ... More

Posted by tigerlynny at 16:52, 08 October 2008 | Report This Post

Another Diane Lane movie that has done well in the U.S. She is again getting great reviews for her performance but... yet again... no publicity or recognition. Diane Lane.... the most underrated and overlooked actress ever. To bad... she's a babe and a great talent. ... More

Posted by MooseTheDude at 15:42, 06 October 2008 | Report This Post

Another Diane Lane movie that has done well in the U.S. She is again getting great reviews for her performance but... yet again... no publicity or recognition. Diane Lane.... the most underrated and overlooked actress ever. To bad... she's a babe and a great talent. ... More

Posted by MooseTheDude at 15:41, 06 October 2008 | Report This Post

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