Safe Haven

Safe Haven, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, is a romance film directed by Lasse Hallström. The film stars Julianne Hough as Katie, a young woman looking for a new life; Josh Duhamel as Alex, a widowed father and shop owner struggling to move foward; and Cobie Smulders as Jo, a woman stuck in a place she longs to leave.
Since Safe Haven is part of Nicholas Sparks book-to-film collection, while watching the film, I compared Safe Haven to other Nicholas Sparks films. Unfortunately, I found Safe Haven to not reach the romantic appeal of The Notebook or Dear John, and it does not make me swoon for the love portrayed. Safe Haven is not a magnificent romance film, it will not have you dreaming about true love, but it is a heart-warming film to watch.
The film’s main stars act well, but the scene-stealer award must go to Mimi Kirkland, who plays Alex’s daughter Lexie. Kirkland’s cuteness shines in this film as she plays the joyous and upbeat Lexie. Whenever Lexie worked as her father’s cashier, aiding costumers with a mature attitude, the theater audience chuckled in adoration.
Aside from the acting, the film scenery was beautiful, but simple. The film was shot mainly in a forest, a beach, and a couple buildings. Yet, the simple scenery juxtaposed with Katie’s daunting past nicely.
Katie’s past presented the only action/suspense aspect of the film. This made the first half of the film dependent on building a romantic relationship between Katie and Alex, and while watching the relationship between the characters grow was entertaining, the lack of action made the first half of the film slow. The slow beginning caused me to not become completely engrossed in the film until more dramatic aspects were introduced.
The film’s soundtrack paralleled the film’s slow first half. The film did not have a memorable soundtrack in the film, and there wasn’t a soundtrack that made the film memorable. Therefore, in relation to the film’s score, nothing special arose.
All in all, while the film did not reach the romantic depths and cinematic complexity of other Nicholas Sparks or romance films, Safe Haven was enjoyable to watch, especially if you are looking for a romantic story for a simple smile.