Movie Review: “Safe Haven”

Nicholas Sparks fans will find their safe haven in theaters across the nation as the newest film from the renowned romantic writer hits theaters today.

“Safe Haven” stars leading man Josh Duhamel and “Dancing with the Stars” alumna Julianne Hough, who plays Katie, a young woman trying to escape a painful past.

Katie finds herself on a bus to the small town of Southport, N.C., where she meets Alex (Duhamel), a widower with two young children. As in most Nicholas Sparks stories, they fall in love.

As Katie and Alex move forward with their relationship, Katie is constantly haunted by the fear of someone from her past.

The film features a series of flashbacks from Katie’s former life that give a glimpse of what she is running from. These scenes and an impressive performance by actor David Lyons make this movie a cross between a romance and a thriller and keep it from being an overly sappy story.

The plot also gets a boost thanks to a storyline that strays from the typical Sparks pattern, and the movie focuses on a poignant issue that is revealed as Katie’s story unfolds. Rather than going down the road of sickness and death, “Safe Haven” focuses on life after loss and the power of second chances.

Although the plot is somewhat predictable, there are plenty of things to capture the audience’s attention until the very end. For starters, Duhamel and Hough’s on-screen chemistry is so believable that they look blissfully in love whether they’re dancing, canoeing or running through the rain.

Hough’s performance is probably the most praiseworthy, given her portrayal of an ambiguous character still trying to cope with and escape from her past, though the audience doesn’t know what has happened or why she is on the run until later in the film. Her flashbacks, nightmares and anxiety reveal the psychological effects of what she has gone through, and Hough expertly embodies Katie’s reserved, guarded and semi-paranoid nature when she first arrives in Southport. She effectively portrays Katie’s reluctance to talk about her life with anyone, even her new neighbor Jo, played by Cobie Smulders. As Jo reaches out to Katie, Smulders adeptly maintains her character’s own ambiguity and makes viewers wonder what role she plays in the Southport community.

Duhamel does a good job of capturing not only the hearts of female viewers, but also his character’s passion for his children above all things and focus on keeping them safe, especially when introducing Katie into their lives. An outing to the beach and a funny grocery-packing scene in the general store run by his character show the strong connection Duhamel creates with his on-screen family.

Young actors Mimi Kirkland and Noah Lomax, who play Alex’s children, steal just about every scene they appear in with their genuine and raw acting as two youngsters who have lost their mother and are helping their father navigate a new life. Kirkland holds her own even during some of the scariest scenes near the end of the film, and Lomax will bring a tear to the audience’s eyes with his portrayal of a boy trying to preserve his mother’s memory and adapt to Katie’s presence in his father’s life.

Scenic Southport, where “A Walk to Remember” was also filmed, provides a beautiful backdrop for this story and creates a sense of the atmosphere of safety and tranquility that Katie seeks.

Overall, “Safe Haven” delivers what Sparks fans have come to expect – a love story, a sad story and an intertwining of the two – but also includes a few flashback scenes that are downright frightening and realistic, something not as common in the Sparks movie world. An interesting and heartwarming twist at the end of this film may leave audiences believing in second chances and life after tragedy.

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