Precious puppies, seashell wind chimes jingling, meaningful gazebos and, of course, a heavy downpour to ensure the lead actress’ sheer cover up is completely drenched and transparent.
Once again, a trip to the loony lovebird destination of Sparks landau, a self claimed romantic outpost that does not make sense, is supposedly next to North Carolina’s coastline. Here, destiny is more than usually uncertain and every picture depicting nature appears as if it is an edited postcard. As expected, this oasis of fantasies is inspired by the best selling novels of Nicholas Sparks. It would be like assuming that E.M. Forster or Zadie Smith are confused for the writers of Twilight saga or 50 Shades of Grey.
Instead, they cater to a market that loves to forget reality with stories about solely white complexioned love visual novels with a sprinkle of drama that don’t really require any cognitive function. Someone who has read more than her fair share of Jennifer Weiner and Sophie Kinsella doesn’t have a problem with that.
What seems innocent on the written page tends to become embarrassing on the big screen, and that is most definitely the case with No. 11 of these film adaptations ‘The Choice.’ Its greatest sin is a conclusion that utterly dismisses one of the hardest decisions a family member might grapple with. There are no spoilers here, however, if you’ve seen an ad or a trailer, then you can easily guess what the ‘Choice’ is.
Either way, it is always amusing to see which talent is brought in to capture the effort, especially since it requires little more than minimal coherent conceptualization. In this case, it is Ross Katz who was co producer on two Oscar nominated Best Picture movies ‘In The Bedroom’ and ‘Lost in Translation’ as well as the director of HBO’s ‘Taking Chance.’ Either he owed someone a favor or drew a short straw.
The selection of actors is essential because, lets face it, a huge reason for the success of “Notebook,” which I call, ”The Citizen Kane Of Sparks landia,” is because “THE” Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were in it. “The Choice” does a horrible job with its leads. As a consequence, you might even find yourself rooting for the painfully dull couple to not end up together at all. When they try to sweet talk each other by saying “You annoy me,” it is hard to not nod your head in agreement.
Our protagonist is Travis, played by Benjamin Walker, who you may recognize from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. We meet him on a boat with a bouquet of flowers on his way to a hospital, looking rather depressed. Now let us rewind the clock 7 years when it looks like Wilmington’s most sought-after bachelor was on the waters. He certainly knew how to pick up girls. We then see him in a bar with an old high school friend while leaving two of his married buddies behind.
Travis makes a scan Ter of the yard jerk and blast Ram Jams Black Betty, and you can expect a loud BBQ party on his lawn. Gabby, however, would be far too peeved at the display. The new medical intern Gabby (Aussie actress Teresa Palmer) watches from her porch wonder where she had to move to plume the hating as she huffed in disgust. Oddly enough though, the blast accompanied by the song was better than what can only be described as unbalancing her life. Start that with “Dirty Dancing” she remarks while accusing Moby, the dog, of being the one who got her Molly pregnant.
Travis is a veterinarian, and it comes to find out that Moby is neutered. Gabby’s nagging undoubtedly gets her to win more than her fair share. A Moby stuffed with puppies dressed up, his offer helps pull a needle from a haystack for a boy next door. Was Gabby already involved with a doorknob probe who looks like you would expect a rod to the for? For sure. Does he instantly jet off to a medical seminar? Of course. Are Travis and Gabby going to manage to not argue for long enough to cuddle? Exactly. Does Travis get a well-deserved punch out of the Aaron Teller film poster to the face? Voice over reveals What you guess.
Here’s the deal. Gabby expresses belief in God to the fatherless Travis; however, she proceeds to cheat on the man who is ready to marry her and have her join his family medical practice. In fact, she doesn’t even mention the whole scenario until she has no other choice. How the hell are we to celebrate with her and Travis when she so carelessly is such a thoughtless .
Regardless, wedding bells will ring, the pitter patter of little feet will show up, and WHAM, something bad will occur because we are in Sparks landia. But what do you expect from a movie that shows a pregnant belly as the passage of time, uses cellphone texting as significant plot shifts, and a cemetery fake out?
Before we leave Sparks-landia, allow me to “lament the inclusion of one cast member who has been a favorite of mine since The Full Monty.” Every Sparksi outing needs an older and wiser love guru, and here, it’s Tom Wilkinson as Travis’s other veteran parent, his widowed father.
An English actor’s tasks here looking after sick lizards, mildly flirting with a dog patient’s owner, and watching a church choir perform a rendition of Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright” hardly demand such a high level of skill. One thing that perplexed me, however, was a specific detail of Wilkinson’s performance: If he practically spits out grits with that thick good’ boy drawl, why does his father sound like someone trying to hide an English accent?
Just like that, you have to make a decision as well when trying to find something to do this weekend. If you are not in a hurry to hear the American Football term “take a knee” used during the marriage proposal, do yourself a favor and do not watch “The Choice.”
To watch more movies like (The Choice (2016)) visit 123Movies.
Also Watch for more movies like:
