As one of the only females on the entertainment team, I am sometimes assigned to tasks that no college-aged male would ever partake in. While I have no problem covering most girly topics such as theme party costumes or fashion week, there is one assignment that I always dread: being sent to review a romantic tearjerker.
When I was sent to go see "The Vow" last week, my attitude was annoyed, cynical and pessimistic. However, I walked out of the movie feeling light and happy, and was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed myself in some of the film's honest moments.
The premise of the movie seems a bit tired and depressing, as it is based around a woman named Paige (Rachel McAdams) who gets amnesia after a car crash. The movie begins with a brief view of her love story with Leo (Channing Tatum), showing the audience how sickeningly in love they were before their lives were turned upside down. Once the accident happens, Paige wakes up to remember her entire life besides the five years in which she met and fell in love with Leo.
While the beginning of the film was slow, the action speeds up as the audience wonders what will happen to the couple when Paige is freaked out by the life and the husband that she woke up to. Tatum is used to acting as a deep and brooding romantic, but he shows a new dimension this time by using some comedic elements to brighten up the drama. He perfects the art of being awkwardly and embarrassingly funny, which makes the audience feel bad for him (in a sweet and endearing way, rather than a desperately pathetic way).
Most moviegoers are already aware that McAdams has more talent of the two, and she proves this in her realistic portrayal of a woman conflicted by both her old life and her new life. Her character, Paige, wakes up with her last memory of being in law school, living with a ritzy suburban family and being engaged to a man named Jeremy who seems great on paper. However, the audience learns that in her new life with Leo she had abandoned her family, her money and her past.
McAdams' well-rounded acting causes even the audience to second-guess her new life with Leo, sucking us into the plot to find answers to our questions. It is clear that this movie is her own show, with Tatum as the cute, sweet puppy-dog along for the ride.
While this movie may not be the best romantic drama ever made, the depth of Rachel McAdams' performance makes it worthwhile to see this Valentine's week. If you are someone who is dragged to this movie, you will be relieved to find that it has some relatable moments and uncomfortable humor that will make your experience less painful than you think.
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