Two beautiful strangers of opposite sexes but equivalent hurts (she: “That must have been hurtful”; he: “I know you’re hurting”), alone at an isolated inn on the beach; an approaching storm; a walk in the sand; a roll in the hay; a hope for a new beginning. The promise of unintended hilarity, held out by any adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel (Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, thus far), remains frustratingly unfulfilled, despite the presence of Richard Gere. Directed by first-timer George C. Wolfe, the film contains nothing but sap, yet not a surplus of sap, not an overflow of sap. It can only be classed a disappointment. The eventual arrival of the storm is admittedly well done, and Diane Lane evokes a real feeling or two. With Viola Davis, Scott Glenn, James Franco. (2008) — Duncan Shepherd
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