Like the rest of the more recent Nicholas Sparks movies
923682
Like the rest of the more recent Nicholas Sparks movies, it's a little disappointing if you read the book.  Still not a bad movie but the book is so much better and there are little but important details that were changed for the movie.
311635
Like a few other reviews, it's a "feel good" movie, and it is.  Like "Trick" or "Broken Hearts Club" without the porn subject matter it makes me wish there were more movies like it and with older stars portraying long successful relationships (without the Aids issue).  Movies are influential in our lives and they are role models that give us hope or what some dreams can grow into, and we definitely need more "happy endings".
3737283
So rom-coms are pretty predictable. It doesn't mean they can't be enjoyable. I love Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock and I think they made a great pair on screen. There were some parts where I was laughing so hard I was crying. And I still felt that stomach clenching when it seemed like things were about to go totally wrong. I liked this movie. After all the romcoms that have been mass produced as of lately, this is one I wouldn't mind watching again.
2866518
I did a rental of this flick on Blu-ray recently so I could watch it with my daughter.  The one thing (beside the knowledge that Amy Adams starred) I knew in advance was that this wasn't a Nicholas Sparks film.  That was enough to entice me to at least give the film a try. ;-)

Seriously, this film is the anti-Nicholas Sparks film.  Sure it may be just as predictable and just as romantic (or at least it tries to be), but it doesn't rip out the heart of the viewer/reader in the way Sparks *always* does.  Is this film perhaps a bit boring because of this?  Well, no, not really.  It offers the lovely and perky Amy Adams as she, and others around her, suffer through various mishaps while she's on her way to force the issue with her mate of the last 4 years.  4 long years without a proposal.

Adams takes flight to Ireland to take advantage of an old Irish tradition of having the woman propose to the man on Leap day, February 29th.  Why that particular day rather than any other day is a question that we don't get to ask.  If we did, well then we'd likely not get this film, or at least wouldn't have the title and main plot point to revolve around.  Regardless, apparently Adams' character (Anna) isn't interested enough in womens liberation to just pop the question without the need to travel or pick a special day, so travel she does and from there we, the viewers, get the pleasure of watching a journey that would remind viewers old enough to remember the film&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Planes-Trains-and-Automobiles-Those-Aren-t-Pillows-Edition/dp/B002JIOOAI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Those Aren't Pillows Edition)</a>&nbsp;of that journey.

Relatively early on in the journey Anna meets Declan (Matthew Goode) and contracts his services to get to her final destination, Dublin, Ireland.  Predictably the two wind up growing close as they travel and the seeds of a romance are sewn even as Anna frets over getting to Dublin on time to seek the hand of her boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott).

Yes the film is predictable, but then again, not in the ways that a viewer/reader would find in a Sparks written/inspired film.  The basics are predictable here, but even as we might grow to predict and expect a certain result, that's not necessarily what is delivered.  Instead we get to think a bit more and are drawn a bit further along in the story as we hope for a certain result but wonder whether or not it will come to pass.

The acting here is good, the story is entertaining, and the scenery is very nice (and impressive) though the color pallete is a bit more constrained than say that used in the film&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/My-Life-in-Ruins-Blu-ray/dp/B0021L8UOE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">My Life in Ruins [Blu-ray</a>] (a film where the scenery pretty much becomes the star of the film) or another film that also features some lovely Irish scenery&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/P-S-I-Love-You-Blu-ray/dp/B0015GDVTU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">P.S. I Love You [Blu-ray</a>].

Certainly worth viewing, moving into worth a purchase for Adams fans.
1969731
I like good clean movies (or as clean as you can get nowadays). Most people would skip movies like that because they think it is too predictable or "lame", but I love them because I know I will be watching something that won't make me feel like I have just been "slimed". Unfortunately, First Wives Club is not a "clean" movie. I actually watch it with a ClearPlay filter.

There are some sexual references, such as a girl tells her mother and father she is a lesbian; a man is seen in a dressing gown, his chest is seen; three women go to a gay club; all three "wives" husbands left them for a younger woman, whom they are having affairs with.

The only violence shown is a woman steps onto a step preparing to jump off a building, but then they cut the scene away; a woman hits another woman with a form baton for "therapy"; three women slap each other in turn.

There are quite a few instances of minor curse words used throughout the movie and a woman is seen drinking and smoking at the beginning of the film and one woman drinks throughout the film.

The movie is about four college friends who lost touch with each other, until one of them commits suicide because her husband left her for a younger woman, and so kills herself because of loneliness.  The other three reunite after their friends funeral only to discover their lives aren't much better.  Brenda is divorced, left for a younger woman, depressed, and struggling financially. Elise, whose husband also left her for a younger woman, is now an aging alcoholic movie actress who has become a plastic-surgery addict to keep her career afloat. Annie, meanwhile, is separated, suffering extreme self-esteem issues, and going through therapy with her husband, until she finds out that he wants a divorce and is having an affair with their therapist  With the help of Annie's daughter, Brenda's Uncle Carmine who has Maufia connections, and Elise's money, they form the First Wives Club.  They starts out just wanting revenge, but then decide that it would make them no better than their husbands. So when they find out that Brenda's husband is guilty of income tax fraud, Elise's husband is dating a minor, and Annie's husband's business partners want to sell their shares, and so with the help of Elise, Annie buys them out - they use these situations to push their men into funding their new nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding abused women, in memory of their college friend Cynthia.

Overall, I like the movie. It has a lot of funny parts, but I would not watch it without some kind of filter.
4536022
I read this book in a day as I do most Sparks novels. (Obviously, I am a fan) This one was a little flat compared to his others. I was surprised by the WHO WAS IT twist but a little dissapointed. I didn't think that he gave the twist enough background for me to care much. I guess what I am saying is that in past novels, he has brought the characters to life. They have literally leapt off the page and joined me in my own life for the few days it took to read the novel and even sometimes, for weeks after, as I thought back over the read. In this novel, I couldn't become invested in the characters, though I tried. I finished the story more out of closure about the characters than because it was a page turner. And I felt in the end, a little cheated that the characters did not come to life much. Nick is a VERY talented writer and you would be hard-pressed to find much not to like in his other books. But this one, again, was just good, not great. I am used to 'great' with his stories.
2824581
I've read the book and watched the movie. They are very different. The main construct is similar but the details have been drastically changed to make it more like what audiences what to see instead of the true story.
Overall, the movie is ok. I really like that it doesn't follow the typical theme of romance movies where everything turns out perfect in the end. However, I never connected to the characters so it doesn't have the emotional grab other movies like The Notebook has. It might be because they start with the accident before you feel how much they love each other. The segmented way you learn about their love makes it harder to root for them as a couple. I wasn't rooting for them to overcome the obstacles but merely passively waited to see what would happen.
3198962
I will definitely say the writing style is vastly different than previous books by Nicholas Sparks, but none the less I enjoyed it.
4790864
I enjoy Nicholas Sparks writing. It's a pretty good book so far, haven't gotten through the whole thing yet. Can't wait to see the movie.
1203055
Nights in Rodanthe is a short, almost meaningless love story centering on the middle-aged workaholic man, and the middle-aged woman whose husband left her for a younger woman.

Don't get me wrong.  I love Nicholas Sparks.  His books are among my favorites, but Nights in Rodanthe feels like it's written by a different man sometimes.  Is this really the guy who wrote "The Notebook" and "A Walk to Remember"?

Adrienne Willis, is a forty-five year old woman who has been abandoned by her husband for a younger woman.  Her best friend has to leave town for a while, and so she's been asked to take care of the hotel in the small town of Rodanthe.

Paul Flanner is a man who works too hard, and his wife left him because he was just too absorbed in his work.  Paul swore to her that he could change, and she says in the cliched lines "I know you can, but I want you to change because you want to," or something like that.  We've heard it a million times.

Really, this is a short read.  You should be able to finish it in one sitting (it's about as long as "The Notebook").  Believe me, this is a love or hate it book.

I'll start with the obvious, the character developement.  Nicholas Sparks is a master of character development.  What happened here?  Paul Flanner is pretty flat, and unlike his past books (I'm referring mostly to "A Walk to Remember") the characters don't come together in a way you'd want them to.  In fact, they seem to come together too fast, and too late into the book.  We don't learn too much about Paul, and we spend so much time just watching him live his normal days not doing much of anything.

Adrienne is no different.  We spend so much time learning about what she does during her day.  For the Love of God, I buy a Nicholas Sparks for a LOVE STORY!  This book is only two hundred pages, but the love story is almost absent from the book entirely.

I'm not too big on the cliche's, but because of it's lack of a love story, the book comes off as boring.  Slow paced books can be good (have you read Stephen King's "The Shining"?), but sometimes a book that's a little faster wouldn't hurt, especially if it's one as short as this.  It should be able to get to the point much faster, instead of having us learn so many character traits that don't really mean anything to the story.

Although, Sparks' does still have that tear-jerking emotion that he's famous for.  You might not cry after this book, but you'll put it down still believing that love can blossom anywhere.

I like Nicholas Sparks, I really do.  But when I see stories like this from a master of love stories... I get sad.  If this is your first Sparks' book, I suggest you read "A Walk to Remember" or "The Notebook".  They're far better than this, and they're tender and loving.
1701612
Nine Things about the Movie Divergent

1.  This film is based on the first book of the popular young adult trilogy of novels.

2. If you haven't noticed, contemporary young adult stories typically follow a set formula - an innocent kid joins a larger society and must be categorized. But then the kid discovers they are special, which causes problems for the society, and the kid must lose their innocence to survive in a dangerous world . Some recent examples are The Hunger Games, Enders Game, and the Harry Potter series. Divergent sticks to that exact same formula.

3. Just because you have seen this basic story multiple times does not mean the movie is bad. These kinds of stories are popular because it is the archetypal heros journey myth, and, if they are well-made, hit a nerve with us. Such movies can sometimes become classics - The Wizard of Oz, The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars are other, older examples of pretty much the exact same story.

4. Thankfully, Divergent is well done, and holds its own among its cinematic peers. Its about a girl named Tris who takes a test (kind of like Harry Potters sorting hat or Enders training monitor) to discover which of five distinct factions she will become a member of (like Hogwarts Houses or the Zones in The Hunger Games). But she is so special that the test breaks, and nobody knows what to do with her (like all the stories I just mentioned). So she must trust her gut and decide in secret.

4. Tris chooses her faction and begins her training, but shes so gifted that she draws attention to herself, not only from her fellow classmates, but from her hunky instructor, too. And the leaders of another faction, who have controversial political aspirations.

5. The movie handles the usual themes well - conformity vs. independence, fear vs. bravery, and the trauma of growing up. But it also subtly asks a couple of bigger questions that are unfortunately not explored here; questions like What is human nature, anyway? and While conformity may seem bad, what would happen if we were all independent?.

6. The acting is decent, and the main characters have good chemistry. Thankfully, the movie delays the inevitable romance as long as it can, and tries not to let it get in the way of the bigger story.

7. Being aimed at young adults, there is not much blood or death, but some people may be surprised that there is a relatively high amount of violence, both explicit and implied.

8. The other two books, Insurgent and Allegiant, are expected to be made into movies and released in theaters in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

9. So yes, the story is old and predictable. No, Divergent won't become a timeless classic. But if you aren't just totally over this type of movie, its worth seeing. And it makes you realize why this same story keeps getting turned into movies over and over again: The issues that teenagers struggle with never go away. Mothers, fathers, sons and daughters are all dealing with the same existential problems. Only our perspective changes. And sometimes our choices.
4415534
Anything by Nicholas Sparks has to be good even if it doesn't "go by the book". It's an excellent movie and a superb cast. It was very well done in every way!
3607235
The first movie was diverting fun, with some surprises - and this sequel follows up with less of the same.

In the last movie, Nick "Oz" Oseransky (Perry) was a dentist and often reluctant conspirator of on-the-run hitman Jimmy "Tulip" Tudeski (Willis), as the contract killer lies low in Canada.  At the end of the last movie, Oz married with Jimmy's ex-wife Cynthia (Henstrige) while Jimmy ran off with Jill (Peet), Oz's assistant who turned out to be a contract killer hired by Oz's wife to kill him.  It was diverting fun, which looked more like it was more fun to make than it was to watch.

In "Ten Yards", Oz and Jimmy remain married but not quite happily.  Oz is a wealthy dentist in Brentwood, CA, but his home less a castle than an embattled fortress oozing with high-tech security devices and dripping with assault weapons.  Jimmy has gone the other direction - setting himself up in a Mexican hacienda, becoming an obsessive domestic god while leaving Jill to do the whacking.  Needless to say it's an arrangement that doesn't make their wives any happier, especially Jill who, skills aside, only accidentally kills her victims.

Complicating things for everybody is Lazlo Gogolak - the father of Yanni Gogolak from the last movie (both being east-European gangsters played by Kevin Pollak) - who is determined to kill everybody from the last movie.

The humor is scattershot.  It's clear that the guys who made this flick are as mystified to the sucess of the last movie as we are, and they've just thrown the leads together hopinng to repeat its sucess, and ramped things up a notch just to remind us that this is a sequel.  Willis seems more hair-triggered

psychotic than the last time (and we must wonder twice as often whether Willis will kill Oz) while Oz seems even twice as clutzy as before.  Henstridge gets kidnapped early, so her scenes are fewer.  Pollack is actually more funny here than in "nine yards" but the script surrounds him with one-note morons that the movie has no interest in developing.  There are scenes that are supposed to be either funny or scary, and it seems that the writers were as mystified as the rest of us, hoping that Perry's adorable dopiness and Willis's homididal charm would acrry the way. How much you enjoy this flick will depend on how much you enjoyed the last movie.
4672898
About a third into the book I gave up. I am not a fan of Nicholas Sparks, and this proved my theory about his sappy writing even more. Some in my book club tried very hard to make an interesting discussion out of a "formula" story, but like me, after a short attempt, many of them also gave up and complained that the ending just popped out, as if the writer decided he didn't want to do any more with the story and just slapped on an ending to be done with it.  Unless you are a real fan of Sparks, don't waste your time.  I gave it a try, but it's the last book I will buy written by him.  Of course, Hollywood will probably love it and make it into some sappy movie. I can assure you I will not buy a ticket.
914242
The movie was a poor depiction of this incredible novel.  This is a typical Nicholas Sparks love story, but oh, they are all so good, aren't they?!  I love the characters but also really love how he seems to set all of them in North Carolina, where he lives.  He gives such a beautiful description of what that area looks like and it makes me want to go there too.  I have all of his books and am working my way through them one by one.  He is FABULOUS!!!
390412
Well...what can I say? I'm a sucker for Nicholas Sparks, and picked this up in paperback the other day. I finished it in about a day, it was a pretty easy read.

The characters were likeable, but the storyline felt a little lacking. Knowing that Sparks books pretty much always have a sad spin, it wasn't hard to figure out the ending. I was not surprised, it ended exactly as I figured, but the ending did seem a bit too...perfectly bittersweet.

I won't give any spoilers, just suffice to say, if you like Sparks other melancholy romances, you will enjoy this one. No surprises, but Sparks knows how to write emotions, thats for sure!
1918180
I liked this movie.  I liked it more than the previous movies, but then that's just me.

The premise of this movie is the fall out.  It tracks what normally happens when top secret programs suddenly become public in the movies.  The Agencies seek to protect what they can, and burn the rest.  So This follows that premise.  If you are looking for the more detailed plots that the previous movies had, it's not in this movie.

This movie is the establishment of the new character "Aaron Cross", and following his journey through the burn.  Being that they plan on continuing the story line, you know the new character is going to survive.

If you enjoy Jeremy Renner, you will most likely like this movie.  If you really liked the previous movies, you will either love or hate this movie, but only you can make that choice.