Mostly good until the ending

Rating: 6/10 (25 October 2011)

Nick Cassavetes' charming romantic drama grabbed me from the beginning. It was a spellbinding romance well-acted by Gosling and McAdams, backed up by Rowlands and Garner, two veteran actors. It was engaging, sweet, and even tear-jerking at times. It had a lot of heart, more heart than most romantic films in the 21st century do. Than the story went sour, the ending was contrived and almost felt laughable. The ending spoiled the film for me. Yet Cassavetes stages it well and the performances are vibrant from all four of the leads especially Rowlands in a very personal performance. Nick Cassavetes crafts this with personality like his father's films, despite all the flaws in Nicholas Sparks' writing.