So the timing was right and, after a few weeks of release, I slunk into the latest Nicholas Sparks movie, the Best of Me. An uneven romantic flick about an older couple who meet up after 20 years of being separated – they had a sweet romance when they were in high school but Something Happened that split them up. James Marsden and Michelle Monahan star as the older versions of the characters and they are good… the two young stars who play them earlier are alright but the guy looks absolutely nothing like Marsden… the girl could conceivably possibly turn into Monahan. So unconvincing casting.. bad casting even.
The movie itself is reasonably sweet in its first half and then gets tedious and bogged down by unnecessary plot that suddenly feels rushed, full of melodrama, and then a howlingly bad and groan-worthy predictable Nicholas Sparks ending.
Score: 71