In his recording studio in “The Vow” solemn Channing Tatum as Leo plays his guitar as meditation. In tearful epiphany he says, “She doesn’t love me…” Paige, who is the love of Leo’s life, has no memory of him or her past life with him following their traumatic car accident. “The Vow” is based on the true story of a couple where the wife lost her memory following a debilitating car accident. Today they are living happily and remarried with a wonderful family. This distinguishes Jason Katims and Marc Silverstein’s screenplay.
Otherwise, “The Vow” is formulaic and predictable in good way given the premise. Channing Tatum is authentically convincing faring much better than Rachel McAdams, who plays Paige. This may have more to do with narrative trappings. What ultimately lands in “The Vow” is their touching tangible chemistry. Director Michael Sucsy has the good sense to leverage this and get out of the way. The character reveal for McAdam’s Paige is out of left field, though must be authentic given the source material.
Tatum and McAdams are a stunningly beautiful screen couple, who are so in love. The signature moment occurs as they exchange Wedding Vows. Leo promises never to forget “this once in a lifetime love.” Later on, Tatum as Leo asks memoryless Paige if she would go out on a date with him, “I need to make my wife fall in love with me all over again.”
“The Vow” is hokey and at times clumsy. But they got me—I was all in. I am a fan of McAdams and Tatum. Rachel McAdams as Paige is an enigmatic quandary. She is afforded moments of her distinct radiance as when Leo passionately praises what he thinks is her art show sculpture piece, but rather literally junk. She smiles, “You really love me!” For the women fans out there, shredded and naked Tatum shocks Paige as he walks into the kitchen. McAdams does a classic double take—after all, it’s Channing Tatum.
Channing Tatum is definitely shoring up People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive 2012. Tatum is also evolving as a strong romantic lead. With his physical presence and humbled easy charm, he is demonstrating he can play more than action heroes. Tatum always has a believable vulnerability and that works in “The Vow” and with McAdams. His innate screen physicality comes to plays as he decks Paige’s ex-fiancé Jeremy played with duplicitous zeal by Scott Speed man. We all want to see that.
So in “The Vow”, following a horrendous car accident where Paige’s head shatters through the car windshield, she displays a form of amnesia. Leo recovers from his injuries. However, Paige suffers brain swelling and is induced into coma for recovery. When she awakes she thinks Leo is her Doctor. Leo is devastated. Apparently, Paige has no memory of the past 4 years—including her marriage to Leo. Her estranged parents, wealthy attorney Bill Thornton (rigidly unforgiving Sam Neil) and his wife Rita (surprising Jessica Lange); swoop in to care for their prodigal daughter. Here is the bizarre twist. Leo’s Paige was the vegetarian wild child free spirit sculptor. Paige wakes up as the conservative preppy debutante, who was in law school and engaged to vain and arrogant Jeremy (Speedman). Gathering this is based on true events, does Paige’s polarized persona indicate past clinical trauma? Again, I have been watching way too much Dr. Drew.
However, Paige’s past confessions to Leo may allow us to determine the cause. Paige eventually uncovers the toxic family secret from the past that poisons the present. Sam Neill is a little too transparent and unsympathetic as Paige’s protective Father. Surprisingly, Jessica Lange lacks the emotional gravitas as her Mother for requisite catharsis. Here McAdams is poignant as the young woman rediscovering her power to recreate herself by forgiving and releasing the hold of the past.
It takes some patience, but Director Sucsy gently resolves the world. The power of love is in freedom, not possession. There is the touching moment in the end as Paige and Leo meet anew. The future is now a blank slate full of possibility. Tatum and McAdams make us pull for wonderful beginnings and falling in love in “The Vow”.