Advanced Review: SAFE HAVEN

NOTE: I was asked to remove the original posting of this advanced review until the movie was released on February 14.

While we mainly focus on television shows here at NiceGirlsTV, every once in a while it is nice to focus on a box office film that would be of interest to our readers. This time around that film is Safe Haven, which is based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name.

The film will actually be out in the theatres on Valentine’s Day – February 14 – but I had an opportunity to see an advance screening last week.

While there are plenty of movie goers, and readers alike, who are not fans of Sparks’s work; and the fact that all of his stories tend to flow in the same manner, Safe Haven – to me – stands slightly above the others because of an unexpected reveal that adds only the slightest touch of the supernatural to the tale.

The film stars actor Josh Duhamel (who appeared in the TV series Las Vegas and the Transformers franchise) stars as widower and father of two Alex Wheatley who runs a small market the little North Carolina town of Southport and dancer-singer turned actress Julianna Hough (who, of course, is best known for her work on the reality series Dancing with the Stars as well as the box office remake of Footloose and last year’s film adaptation of Rock of Ages) stars as Katie Feldman, a mysterious young woman whose sudden arrival in the town starts to raise questions about her past.

Without giving too much of the storyline of Safe Haven away, Katie is on the run from Boston police detective Kevin Tierney (actor David Lyons who is one of the cast members on Revolution and starred in the short-lived series The Cape) who is hunting her down for presumably committing murder. His obsession in capturing Katie is slowly revealed with the viewers’ learning some startling truths about the police detective.

During her first few days in Southport, Katie lands a waitressing job at Ivan’s Fish Shack, a small seaside eatery and finds a rather run-down cottage situated “in the middle of nowhere” as she is determined to avoid personal ties to anyone in the area. That is the case until she meets her neighbor Jo (actress Colbie Smulders, who has been one of the regulars on the long-running comedy How I Met Your Mother). She gradually becomes close with Alex and his children, eventually falling in love with the widower.

In traditional Nicholas Sparks style there is plenty of beautiful scenery, a trip down the local waterway in a canoe [why do all of his stories have to feature that?], a moment in the rain for the lead couple and even a bit of mystery, intrigue and the aforementioned light dash of the supernatural.

All in all, though, Safe Haven is the perfect film for Valentine’s Day and I heartedly recommend that movie goers who want to see a good romance pay a visit to their local Cineplex and see Safe Haven.

The film also stars Mimi Kirkland and Noah Lomax as Lexie and Josh Wheatley respectively, the children of Alex and Robin Mullins as Maddie, the owner of Ivan’s Fish Shack. The film was directed by Lasse Hallstrom.