Nights in Rodanthe

Disclaimer: I have never read the book Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks, I've only watched the movie. I don't have a good review of how well the movie did or did not follow the novel since I didn't read it!

I enjoyed the movie Nights in Rodanthe. It reminded me of a good sixties romantic weepie that I would watch with my mom. It was not high art, but it was entertaining. I loved that it was a story of second chances and love later in life.

Adrienne (Diane Lane) is an almost divorced mother of two that has traveled to an island B&B to help her friend out by watching it for the weekend. There is only one guest, a troubled doctor named Paul (Richard Gere) who has come to Rodanthe to find a man who's wife died while he was performing surgery on her. Adrienne and Paul bring out the best in each other and find love during a hurricane. They soon separate when Paul flies to South America to help his estranged son with his medical practice. Adrienne and Paul continue their romance via old fashioned romantic letters. Then tragedy ensues . . .

Diane Lane and Richard Gere have great chemistry. My one complaint was that this movie was too short to adequately build up some of the characters. I didn't like how Adrienne's daughter was bratty and full of teen angst one minute and then suddenly caring and the perfect daughter the next. The drastic change was unrealistic. I also didn't like how Adrienne didn't bother to board up the windows for the hurricane until it was practically there. I don't think the tiny hooks they had closing the shutters would have worked. I don't know why I was bothered by this . . . but I was! Otherwise I enjoyed the light romance . . . and yes, I cried!