This movie is not going to be winning any awards. There was nothing unique or special about it. But then, it never claimed to be anything but what it was.

This movie was in every way a story based on a Nicholas Sparks book. Now, I haven’t seen The Notebook but it is my understanding that it is the exception and that most Sparks movies do no come close to it. So if you have heard people compare The Best of Me to The Notebook and finding it lacking
don’t pay attention. That seems to be unfair

What you will get is a nice, romantic movie that strives to hide the sad twist with plot turns. Shocking, or not really, I have come across the core elements of this plot many times before when I was into YA love stories.

The acting was okay, especially since the source material did very little to help them. The young versions of the main characters were charming but the older versions were subpar in development. At the end I was firmly convinced that they were responsible for their issues. Any plays at sympathy failed.

This movie has two things going for it.
1. The actors are attractive. The casting for this movie was spot on.
2. This movie does not demand much from you. Sometimes you don’t want to leave a theater and spend the rest of the night dissecting small moments and looking for one more layer to peel away from meaning.

Verdict: As I said, this movie won’t win any awards but it might just be what you need when you run to Redbox for a night in pajamas or if you want a safe first date movie.