“The Best of Me” imparted a bittersweet ending

Here comes another Nicholas Sparks book adaptation movie which I know most fan of the author are thrilled to see. But to manage your expectations properly, it is not a kind of film like “The Notebook” or “A Walk to Remember” which you don't mind watching constantly. I’m not saying the story is bad because in fact, it was brilliantly written by Mr. Sparks in the book but the movie on the other hand, didn’t fully deliver the kind of goods that I think most spectators are anticipating to see. Read more to know why.

To give you a proper introduction, “The Best of Me” is an American romantic drama film based on Nicholas Sparks’ 2011 novel of the same name. The movie revolves around the story of former high school sweethearts which reunited after 20 years. Hence, the film depicted a sense of old scenario which I think most believers of long-standing love stories would be delightful to see.

The movie is directed by an American film director, Michael Hoffman who’s famous for his filmography in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. No doubt he is a great director but I think his approach for the movie "The Best of Me" didn’t make way for the most part. The beginning is quite good but the rest progresses in a deranged manner. Well, the panning of scenes seems understandable but some parts are just plain dull and boring. Also, the choice of tracks for the motion picture didn’t sound appealing for its kind of story. The good side though is that the cinematography and images of the film were wonderfully produced.

The film’s main casts are Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden who played as Amanda and Dawson, respectively. Acting wise, I think they delivered a job well done and I couldn’t think of any better artists to play those parts. Both have sensual attitude towards their characters and they delivered the right amount of intimacy and romance that the movie requires.

But the young Amanda and Dawson who were portrayed by Liana Liberato and Luke Bracey fell a little short for the movie. Particularly, Luke who by the way looks older for the character, lacked intensity compared to James Marsden’s acting. For me, James and Luke don’t even have similar facial attributes to play the same character and neither Michelle and Liana. But nonetheless, other casts like Sean Bridgers and Gerald McRaney did an excellent and convincing acting. I swear you would be moved furiously by Sean's antagonist role.

Besides the cinematography, what I also love about the film is the fashion. Despite of its old setting, I admire how all the characters appeared on the film - sweet, clean and chic.

The movie truly imparted a bittersweet emotion to most moviegoers. But despite the film's concentration to inconceivable problems, I still admire Nicholas Sparks' body of works. Though I find the story unrealistic, I somehow appreciate the imaginative love story it entails to both young and old audiences. And yes, the movie ended just the way Mr. Sparks had it on the book - tragic and very heartbreaking but it is also meaningful.

"The Best of Me" is far from best but it's not the worst movie either. I would still recommend it to watch but I suggest be in a right mood for you to appreciate the story. 

Overall, my rating for the film is 6/10. ««««««¶¶¶¶

The movie opens in Philippine theaters starting tomorrow October 22, 2014. Here's the trailer: