I will be the first to admit that going to see The Choice – it already had two things going for it. It was romance and it starred Teresa Palmer – who if you have followed us for a long time – you know that we’re huge fans. I will admit that I have always measured Nicholas Sparks movies by how much I cry – but the truth is, this one is different. Yes, I cried and I laughed as the usual cliche’s of a Nicholas Sparks film made their way onto the screen.
But I digress…
Love is a difficult thing and it’s sometimes – quite frankly – a pain in the ass. It’s not perfect by any means. It’s more like – if I am going to get through this – give me a beer and a xanax – cause not only is finding someone difficult, but what we learn quickly in The Choice is that admitting your feelings is more difficult.
We are first introduced to Travis, a playboy from the quintessential North Carolina town. He’s got the hot bod, the southern charm, and an accent that sounds like honey dripping from a biscuit (aka he’s smooth). But there’s something about Travis – he surrounds himself with his closest friends and keeps falling into the same trap of the girl that’s comfort versus branching out and exploring the world of women out there.
Enter Gabby, his next door neighbor who has a few control issues and is kind of neurotic. But we can’t blame her – cause if we were going to medical school and trying to make it through – we’d be pretty pissed if the neighbors were throwing constant parties too.
But from the bat – you can see the chemistry between these two. They don’t want to admit it – cause you know – that’s putting it out into the world and we all know that takes it one step closer to being a reality situation. But like all Nicholas Sparks movie they have trials and the fight to love isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.
But from the moment that these two are on the screen together – Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer light up the screen. We thought that we had enough people to love – we have a new one. Benjamin Walker – we totally get that you are married – but hey – you’ve made fans for life out of us – so we apologize to your wife now for our consistent drooling over you.
Here’s the best things about The Choice.
THE CHEMISTRY: When you think of Nicholas Sparks movies – the first ones that come to mind are The Notebook and A Walk to Remember. At least for us. And the reason for those – besides the fact that I loved the movies – was the chemistry of the actors. This one is no different.
Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer naturally seem to fit – they feel each other out. They make sense. They have a natural way to be comfortable with each other. The Choice became my 3rd favorite Nicholas Sparks adaptation based off the way that these two fit together.
THE LOVE: Any good romance has love. Now -here’s the thing – it may not be perfect – it may have some really big problems… but in the end what you walk away from every romance movie knowing one thing – love is worth it.
Look, I know that a lot of people look at the love in these movies as unattainable – but I have never viewed it about the love that’s in the movies. Because everybody’s interpretation of love is different. But in the end aren’t we all just looking for the person that challenges us, that makes us feel something. Aren’t we just looking for that person that will “come bother us.” I mean I know that I am.
THE IMAGERY: I mean what’s not to love about anything Nicholas Sparks. North Carolina is beautiful.
But it’s the imagery – the way that everything ties together is just beautiful. Everything has meaning in a Nicholas Sparks adaptation.
All I know is at the end of every movie I see – I want to pack up and move to the south to find the perfect Southern gentleman. I mean – I am willing to learn how to drive.
THE FEELS: You can’t not feel something watching this movie. Yes, there are holes in it – but hey – we’re not watching a biblical movie. We’re watching a movie about love. And yes – you may not like certain parts of it and I may be going “Give me some fucking answers” – but at the end of the day…
I walk out of the theater feeling something.
And I believe in love again.
Isn’t that what any good romance movie is supposed to do?
The Choice is in theaters tonight.
