Starring Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams
Directed by Michael Sucsy
You'd think that a movie that dedicates its entire voice-over narration to waxing poetic about moments of impact might feel obliged to deliver a few more of its own. Unfortunately, in using a traumatic brain injury as a springboard for light comedy and tepid drama, The Vow fails to make much of an impression.
After watching lovebirds Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) crash their car in a snowstorm, we rewind four years to see them meet and quickly marry in an art gallery. (But one of the painful attempts to illustrate just how quirky this couple is.) Alas, when Paige wakes from a coma, the past five years have been wiped from her memory. Consequently, Leo must find a way to make his wife fall in love with him all over again.
Tatum will never be mistaken for a natural actor but that actually works to his advantage here. Whichever hoop he's asked to jump through whether it's taking Paige out on their second first date (which finally allows McAdams to display some unscripted charm) or contending with the machinations of her domineering parents (Sam Neill and Jessica Lange in thankless roles) and sleazy ex-fiancé (Scott Speedman) there's the legitimate sense that both the actor and character are pushing themselves to their limits. While so much of the film rings false, we never once doubt his commitment.
And perhaps this explains why he's unceremoniously and illogically shunted to the sidelines during the limp closing act: his effort and desire were making everyone else associated with this superficial fluff look bad. Curtis Woloschuk
**
