Customer Reviews

Nights in Rodanthe (Blu-Ray Live) [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

This is a real tear-jerker. The acting is fantastic and the emotions seem very real. The story line is well-considered, but it is definitely not the typical love story. The best way to describe this film is that it just feels real. You could imagine the characters being pulled off the screen and placed in the "real world" without any problem. I would definitely recommend Nights in Rodanthe to those who like a good love story with plenty of drama.

Note: For those who haven't read the book or seen the film, spoilers appear below.

"Chick lit" becomes "chick flick" as author Nicholas Sparks gets another makeover by Hollywood. I've read none of Sparks' works, but my better half and I have seen all three film versions of his modern-day tearjerkers: "Message In a Bottle", "The Notebook" and now, "Nights in Rodanthe." This one has all the predictable elements for this genre, but the acting by the leads (especially Lane) is solid and the scenery is phenomenal, the film having been shot around North Carolina's Cape Hatteras and on Ocracoke and Cedar Islands, all of which helps make a fairly mundane story more compelling. (I've been up and down the Outer Banks at least six times during my life, and that was much of the draw of seeing this film, especially at mid-winter.)

Of special note is the performance put in by veteran actor Scott Glenn, playing a widower waiting for an apology from the Raleigh surgeon played by Gere. Glenn, who left Hollywood earlier in his career to hang out in Idaho and earn his keep in blue-collar jobs, got the hang of the local dialect in "Nights" by hanging with a crabber and generally melting into the neighborhood. The craggy-faced Glenn owns his scenes with Gere, not only through pitch-perfect dialect but also with an understated yet stinging "nuts to you, you don't get it" attitude. When Gere's character finally visits the widower's cottage, Glenn steals the camera lock, stock and barrel. There's an acting award here somewhere, at least in my book.

Cinematically, the only fault one might find with "Nights" comes at the end. Rather than close "Nights" with the spirited shots of Lane on the beach, mesmerized by a rare migration of the wild ponies that ordinarily confine themselves to the Virginia-Carolina border, the decision was made to tack on a wide shot of key characters peering out from a boardwalk - an unnecessary, even hackneyed action that drained some of the momentum from the film in its final moments.

"Nights in Rodanthe" isn't rocket science, but it's pretty to look at, the acting is more than workmanlike, and everyone loves a love story, right? Four stars for the film, five for Scott Glenn's performance.

Nice title, great stars (I love Richard Gere and Diane Lane), but this movie just didn't work. It was so formulaic and contrived that I couldn't get absorbed in this at all. I kept feeling bored and thinking, "this is terrible." This film is the worst I've seen from either of these fine actors. Between them, they've been in many two-star films, including Under the Tuscan Sun which I loved -- which were gems compared to this film. Thus, the one star.

Despite having a good cast 'Nights At Rodathe' never seems to get off the ground. Gere and Lane are fine actors and very likable, but I never felt any chemistry between them. I found watching the two of them fumbling around on the bed for an uncomfortable amount of time nauseating (Gere is 60). The characters are under developed and this makes for a boring first half and the "OH MY GOD" manipulative ending will make most viewers cry, but it made me laugh at its desperate attempt to save this mediocre film. All they needed to do is have Lane hang herself as the credits rolled to put the icing on the cake! On the plus side Scott Glen has an all too brief role as a grieving husband which is the film's best scenes.

What a waste. Gere, Lane, beautiful scenery, even a hurricane, for goodness sake... but it flops. The story is more Nicholas Sparks emotion-by-the-numbers, and it adds up to less than zero. There is no sizzle between the actors, and the so the director resorts to camera tricks and mood lighting in a failed attempt to inject some life into this dead story. The only moments of genuine sentiment are when veteran actor Scott Glenn, as a grieving husband, is on the screen. He manages to convey something real; but the rest is just hollowness. Don't waste your time on this turkey.

People are slamming this romantic drama for being too predictable and sappy. Well, they are right in one sense, but wrong in another. Yes, the film is predictable, but it isn't about the predictability but how characters deal with certain unpredictable things in life. Sappy? Yes, but, again, this deals with certain feelings, provoked and unprovoked, that lay dormant in all of us. There are a range of emotions in this film, from love to bitterness, from anger to forgiveness. There are things in life that will always take us by surprise, and none more so than falling in love with someone then they die before you really have the chance to get to know them. I know from my own experience in life...Yes, I have had something very similar to this happen to me.
I, too, saw the outcome of this coming; but I didn't see the way a certain character was gonna deal with the end result. Fabulous performances all across the board: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Scott Glenn, and Pablo Schreiber all give top-notch performances in this, some roles larger than others; but all important to the overall story.
Critics ravaged this upon release, but luckily I ignored them; and I am so glad I did!
Awesome direction, acting, and some breath taking scenery make this a very pleasant viewing experience. This is on the same par as the two previous films Gere and Lane did together, Francis Coppolla'a "The Cotton Club" (1984) and Adrian Lyne's "Unfaithful" (2002).
Basic plot: A divorced woman (Lane) meets a single doctor (Gere) while he is on vacaton to deal with a greiving father (Glenn) and son (Schreiber). The two fall in love and the rest is, well, for you to see and find out for yourself. Highly recommended!
Thank you. ;o)

One should know walking into a movie adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks book that they are going to have their emotions manipulated; that is just how he works. I have not read a single novel from the man, although my wife has read them all (and I mean THEM ALL), but I have seen a number of his movies, and they all are pretty much the same. I generally like them (I thought that `A Walk to Remember' was wonderful, `The Notebook' was impressive and `Message in a Bottle' was memorable) and, while I do like `Nights in Rodanthe' it is by far the least successful of the four.

The film, sadly, doesn't know how to make its overwrought cliché seem somewhat inviting. Instead, it winds up feeling like a middle-aged revival of an overly dramatic teen film. It doesn't really make the distinction it needs to in order to create a real feeling of adult love.

The film tells the story of Adrienne Willis, an older mother of two whose husband left her seven months ago for another woman and is now on his knees begging for another chance. While he is away with the kids (manipulating them into taking his side), Adrienne is helping out a friend who owns a sea-side bed and breakfast. Her friend, Jean, is going to be out of town and was going to shut the place down, but Dr. Paul Flanner offered to pay double if he could stay there, so Jean asks Adrienne to watch the place for her. Paul is suffering from his own personal demons, and so it's obvious that they are going to repel and then attract one another, just in time for a storm to wreck the house and throw them into each others arms.

Someone else mentioned the first kiss was laughable, and yes, yes it is.

There are certain acting duos that work really well with one another, and so they show up in more films together, and it just works. Look at Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins. Sure, the only worked together twice, but MY GOD were they amazing together. Look at Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany (I know, not a conventional `couple'). Again, only twice, but stellar both times. Certain actors just WORK WELL WITH ONE ANOTHER. Diane Lane and Richard Gere worked together on `Unfaithful', and they did fine. Lane stole the whole show, and appeared in more scenes with her `other' leading man than with Gere, so it really can't be said they worked `together' so much. Here, there is no chemistry, so it leads me to believe that they LIKE working together more than they actually work well together. I blame this one Gere, and here is why...

Diane Lane is amazing. She is really the only reason I'm giving this film three and not two stars. She is just flawless. The fact that this amazing actress only has ONE Oscar nomination (and not even a win when her performance in `Unfaithful' was leagues better than the other nominees; even Moore who was spellbinding for sure) when she has been nomination worthy a few times is just horrifying to me. Even in this regurgitated pulp she is a breath of fresh air, truly engulfing everything that a middle-aged woman at the end of her rope should. The drunk cleanup scene is spectacular for her, showing spunk and wit and a raw sensual appeal that she has always captivated, but it is rather age appropriate. She never tries to play a younger character, instead she is comfortable with playing her age, and in a world obsessed with youth it is nice to see someone who is willing and able to embrace their wrinkles (and that snot on her upper lip).

And Diane, you still rock my world!

Some have balked at the manipulated ending, and yes, it is a tearjerker (although, like some others I did kind of roll my eyes and chuckle while my wife was balling her eyes out), but like I said, this is a Nicholas Sparks adaptation, so you have to expect this kind of an ending. I think that if you walk in knowing what you are getting then you can find some sort of enjoyment out of this film. Viola Davis is great in her role (a truly outstanding supporting actress), Scott Glenn is touching (very touching), and Gere, while a tad bland (I've never really liked him) is serviceable. See it for Lane, please, and then never watch it again. I actually enjoyed the entire beginning, up until the storm, when everything fell off the map with its preposterous overblown predictable clichés.

But, again, this is a Nicholas Sparks adaptation.

Now I'm not usually the type of guy to go in for these mushy
type of films, but I must say that "Nights In Rodanthe"
made me feel it whole-heartedly and took me on a very warm
and romantic journey about life, love, fate and all of it's
fragile complexities. This is perfect as a date movie with
the one you love or when you just want to spend a reflective
evening with a glass of wine just getting reconnected
to your humanity! Both Richard Gere and Diane Lane turn
in multi-layered performances as two star-crossed people
who are both at a crossroads in their lives and who meet,
by chance & fate, to complete each other and share in a rare
perfect moment in time that lasts over the course of a
long weekend of bliss at a bed & breakfast in a coastal
North Carolina town, (Rodanthe) which changes them both for the better.

Then, just when you think it's going one way, fate intercedes
again for an unexpected twist that adds even more depth and bittersweetness to this tale.
This movie is like one of those old technicolor 1950's
romantic dramas but with a modern spin.
Viola Davis and Chris Meloni both turn in good supporting
roles as well as the other cast members.
I must admit it though, I really enjoyed this movie!

I was so disappointed in this movie. I love both Richard Gere and Diane Lane. The scenery was beautiful. That is probably the best I can say about this movie. Don't waste your time or money on this movie. Very boring!

Eat your popcorn quick so you'll have a bowl to puke in if you can't look away from movie disasters. The screen play must have been generated by cliche software. The actors look old and embarrassed, except for Richard Gere, who leads with his usual self-satisfied countenance. The plot was even more rickety than the house perched perilously on stilts on the beach. That it survives a hurricane is as believable as ever other detail of this pathetic movie.