SAFE HAVEN

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
MARCH 28, 2013

I could watch Julianne Hough, with short, blonde hair, do just about anything for any period. And for such a young actress with plenty of other professions on her plate, she nails a good portion of her moments. “Safe Haven” is another Nicholas Sparks adaptation. Although it lacks the sincerity and thoughtfulness of Sparks’ previous works (meaning I did not cry during this screening), it still attempts to hit those marks.

The film falls shy of two hours long and loses all of its steam in the last thirty minutes, containing many telegraphed and laughable twists. Sparks’ movies rely heavily on the chemistry between the leads, and Hough/Duhamel may not be the best couple to come out of his adaptations, it was still lovely to see. The love story of “Safe Haven” is worth the price of admission, but the muddling counterparts, including the insanely lousy twist at the end, is what gives these types of films a bad name.