The Vow

The Vow was both entertaining and exasperating. At an hour and forty-eight minutes, it’s not that long when compared to other films, but the pacing was a little off, so the story seemed to speed along and then suddenly stagnant in an unimportant part. It’s a touching, appropriately sappy release for Valentine’s Day weekend – sans tears.

In The Vow, Channing Tatum plays Leo, husband to Paige, played by Rachel McAdams of The Notebook. Leo and Paige are in a car accident, and Paige loses her memory to the extent that she no longer remembers being married or even being an artist. Paige's last memory is of being the beloved daughter of a well-to-do family on the cusp of graduating law school.

There’s a certain sense of frustration when dealing with someone who is suffering from memory loss that Tatum manages to portray in a believable way. McAdams’ character’s equal frustration at not remembering is also clearly evident. Both actors portray the appropriate sense of hope and angst one would expect from this type of story.

Despite the surprising high notes of this film’s performances, the story moved almost glacially slow sometimes. Rather than focusing on the story of Paige’s recovery, The Vow tries to cover a somewhat complicated backstory that’s both interesting and mostly unnecessary. While it explains Paige’s sudden decision to leave an extravagant lifestyle behind for the life of a starving artist, it does nothing to further what I assumed to be the main focus of the story: Leo and Paige’s relationship.

The part of The Vow I like most is that the conclusion isn’t really a conclusion. It wasn’t left open for a sequel, rather you can make your own assumptions about how Leo and Paige’s story ends. The Vow is also inspired by a true event, lending it a shred of credibility that I probably could not have given it otherwise.