Nights in Rodanthe DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Gere and Lane Reunion Released on DVD

Directed by George C. Wollfe, this syrupy romance saga reunites Richard Gere and Diane Lane who first appeared opposite each other in The Cotton Club (1984), and then again in Unfaithful (2002). Other than crow’s feet caught on close-ups during their steamy clinches, it doesn’t look time has aged either of these matinee idols much, or diminished their ability to generate chemistry.
At the point of departure, we’re introduced to Adrienne Willis (Lane), a married woman in the midst of a meltdown. We learn that just in the past few months, her father has died, her husband (Christopher Meloni) has dumped her, and her spoiled-rotten teenager (Mae Whitman) has become impossible to live with. Luckily, Adrienne’s best friend, Jean (Viola Davis), owns an oceanfront bed and breakfast on Hatteras Island and needs someone to run the place while she’s away on business.
Turns out the cozy getaway is only guest is a surgeon who’ll be arriving simultaneously for a four-night stay. Dr. Paul Flanner (Gere) has his own emotional baggage, being inconsolable ever since a patient (Linda Molloy) accidentally died on the operating table. He also has some issues to work out with the 28 year-old son (James Franco) he hasn’t spoken to in a year.
What happens when two troubled souls in search of a little solitude find a soul mate instead of isolation? This is Paul and Adrienne’s plight as they fall in love at first sight and start whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears while sharing the proverbial candlelit meals and long walks along the shore. Visually-enchanting, Nights in Rodanthe is ultimately more memorable for its cinematography than for the myriad relationship dramas hastily introduced and unconvincingly resolved over the course of one very eventful weekend. A sappy chick flick for soap opera fans inclined to sacrifice character development in favor of panoramic seascapes and lingering close-ups of locked lips and loins.

Good (2 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sensuality, partial nudity and mild epithets.
Running time: 97 minutes
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Extras: Alternate scenes with director’s commentary, a music video, a digital copy of the film, plus three featurettes.

To see a trailer for Nights in Rodanthe, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n1QNRDOkn0