Nights in Rodanthe

C

Nights in Rodanthe

Rated PG-13; Directed by George C. Wolfe; Starring Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Scott Glenn, Mae Whitman, Viola Davis, Christopher Meloni,

Diane Lane and Richard Gere star in Nights in Rodanthe. Harkening back to an old-fashioned kind of Hollywood movie, I could easily imagine Bette Davis and Paul Henreid starring in a 1940s version of this romance. Just like those old movies there is the surprising attraction between two strangers, the passion that builds in a scenic place, and then the necessary suffering. So old Hollywood.

Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane) is debating whether to return to her cheating husband (Christopher Meloni). While her two children head off for a weekend with their dad, Adrienne heads to a lovely seaside Inn in Rodanthe, North Carolina to help take care of the place while her friend Jean (Viola Davis) is away. There is only one guest planned for the weekend. Paul Flanner (Richard Gere) is in Rodanthe for his own special reasons. Amidst a hurricane the two find a bond, and in old-movie fashion, while the thunder booms and the wind moans, their passion rages.

You can find some wonderful moments in this movie. Unfortunately, for every scene that grabs you and keeps you entranced, there are scenes that meander and ring false. The dialogue is often forced and not realistic. Lane and Gere are great to look at and they do their best to make their characters seem real. Too bad the script gives them such awkward dialog. The best part of the picture is every time Scott Glenn appears.

If you want to see a romantic movie, Nights in Rodanthe can offer you two attractive, older actors finding love. Too bad they aren’t Bette Davis or Paul Henreid. This film won’t end up a classic.