The Vow

The Vow stars Channing Tatum as Leo and Rachel McAdams as Paige, a young couple whose lives get turned upside down by one tragic event. Stopped at a stop sign on a snowy evening, Paige mistakenly takes off her seat belt belt to give Leo a kiss and it is precisely at that moment that the couple get rear-ended by a truck. This leaves Paige in a drug-induced coma to help the swelling in her brain go down. When she wakes up, she thinks Leo is her doctor and that it is five years ago.

The Vow, based on true events, looks at the challenges that face this couple as they try to restore their lives. Paige does not remember the last five years of her life, which sadly includes every moment with Leo. Her present reality has been rewound. She feels all is well with her estranged parents (Jessica Lange and Sam Neill) and her ex-fiance Jeremy (Scott Speedman). It is mystery until near the end of the film as to why Paige hasn’t spoken to her family in so long and why, despite being married, they have never met Leo. Her parents however, turn lemons into lemonade and look at the situation as a blessing in disguise where they can sweep under the rug the mistakes of the past and get back to life with the old Paige.

Leo wants his life back with Paige as well. He insists on her coming home with him, which starts a battle royale with her parents. Leo takes her to their favourite places, she watches their home video of their wedding, and he accompanies her to family get-togethers, but it is to no avail.

Tatum plays a strong, hopeful man trying to win back his wife in a battle with her mind. He is perfectly cast as the thankless hero trying to save his wife from a life she ran away from without actually telling her why she left in the first place. In one very sad scene, Leo tells a friend the story of the first time Paige told him “I love you.” The reality of that story comes from sadness in a hopeless situation. McAdams plays her character so endearingly that it is no wonder that her husband fights so hard for their marriage.

The Vow is the perfect film for hopeless romantics. Channing Tatum is the perfect guy for the hero in this film which will undoubtedly win over every female who sees it. The Vow isn’t a perfect movie, but it is perfect for every female, teenager to adult, who still believes in the knight in shining armour and that true love will endure no matter what.