The endearing Rachel McAdams stars in The Vow from Sony Pictures

For My Angel

Written by

Jude Bautista

What would you do if you woke up from the hospital bed with a stranger beside you claiming to be your husband? What if you’ve lost the past five years of your life from your mind? Paige (Rachel McAdams) was in a coma for weeks. A car accident took the recent memory of just married Paige completely from her mind. She remembers nothing except her own family and college life. The new life she had made with her husband Leo (Channing Tatum) was all gone.

They got married in a museum.

Paige started another chapter in the city when she fell in love with Leo. Now her wealthy parents Bill (Sam Neill) and Rita Thornton (Jessica Lange) wanted her back with them. Although she believed Leo, he was still a complete stranger to her. She asked, “How is it that you’re my husband and you’ve never met my family?” Paige was convinced by her mom to go home with them.

Channing Tatum stars in the Vow and also in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and 21 Jumpstreet also from Sony Pictures

Until Leo pulled out his cellphone claiming that she had given him a voice mail. And Paige agreed to listen to the recording. It was unmistakably her voice and the emotion was clear: “Hey baby sorry I’m still at my studio. I miss you so bad my sculptures are starting look like you. So what are you doing later? I need some Leo time if you know what I mean. Anyway, call me back I love you.” The recording affected her. Leo said the best thing he could at the moment, “I promise that I will take care of her. Come home with me. We’ll figure this out together.”

Tatum was ‘extra beefy’, more hunky and muscular than most romantic leads. The problem was sometimes it was difficult to decipher the lines he was delivering. In action movies where he was in before “G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra” and even “Haywire”, it’s not as important. But in a romance discernible, clear delivery of dialogue is crucial.  Tatum will also be in the upcoming sequel “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and the film version of “21 Jumpstreet.”

McAdams was clear as a bell in each line. Her smile and endearing persona has been part of the most recent successful romantic films, “The Notebook” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” Channing didn’t seem as sympathetic or had as much chemistry as her other leads such as Eric Bana or even Ryan Gosling. Channing comes across more as a dumb jock than a romantic lead. The more romantic narration that he uses as voice over seems totally out of character.

The endearing Rachel McAdams stars in The Vow from Sony Pictures

Jessica Lange and Sam Neill were exceptional as the upscale, waspy couple. Lange has already won 2 Oscars Supporting Actress for “Tootsie” 1982 and Best Actress in “Blue Sky” 1994. These days she’s more known for her role as Constance Langdon in “American Horror Story” which is aired locally in Jack TV. She was an extremely attractive and sexy in “King Kong” and “All that Jazz”, the two lead roles which propelled her to stardom. Sam Neill is more popularly known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the  “Jurassic Park” movies. He is rumored to reprise the role in “Jurassic Park IV.” Not a lot of people know that he grew up in New Zealand and owns a vineyard there.

The movie is based on a true story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter. Kim wrote a book detailing their experiences with the title, “The Vow.”  The film’s strength is that it poses important questions about self-discovery. Are we the sum total of our experiences and memories? Can we piece together a new life without remembering why we made very important choices in our lives?