| | | It's Never Too Late for a Second Chance.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.40:1
The stars of Unfaithful rekindle their screen chemistry in this rich tale of hearts awakenings based on a bestseller by Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, Message in a Bottle). Richard Gere is Paul, a surgeon who long ago unwittingly traded career for family. Diane Lane is Adrienne, a devoted mother trying to move on after her husband's infidelity and struggling with his desire to return to their marriage. At a remote inn on the Outer Banks, Paul and Adrienne expect to do some serious soul-searching. But an approaching storm forces each to turn to the other for strength, setting the stage for a life-resonating romance.
"...nice scenery, attractive stars and another credible, affecting performance from Lane..." Angie Errigo, Empire
"...a reliably steamy stormy sultry story." Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
"...a soap opera, for sure, but it's a beautifully-acted one and director George C. Wolfe revels in the story's swoony lushness." Chris Hewitt, St. Paul Pioneer Press
"A tasteful melodrama courtesy of the easy chemistry between its two leads..." Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter
"A slow-moving, unashamedly weepy, middle-age love story of the kind big-studio Hollywood doesn't often make anymore." William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Editor's Note
Diane Lane and Richard Gere team up for the third time (after COTTON CLUB and UNFAITHFUL) for this three-hankie romance based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. Adrienne Willis (Lane) feels her life falling apart around her: her unfaithful husband (Christopher Meloni, LAW & ORDER: SVU) is begging to come home, and her teenage daughter (Mae Whitman, HOPE FLOATS) can't stand to be around her. When her friend (Viola Davis, ANTWONE FISHER) asks her to watch her bed and breakfast in the picturesque town of Rodanthe, Adrienne leaps at the chance to get away. But since it's late in the season, there's only one guest: the handsome Dr. Paul Flanner (Gere), who is quiet about his reason for coming to the town. Driven together by a powerful hurricane, Adrienne and Paul find love and comfort in each other's arms.Cinematic romances between grown-ups are rare, and this finely cast drama will appeal to people who love films like THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY and other adaptations of Sparks's books, particularly MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE. Gere and Lane are both veterans (who look none the worse for wear), and they have perfected starring in relationship-driven films. But the North Carolina town of Rodanthe deserves plenty of praise as well, since it takes a starring role. Director of photography Affonso Beato (a frequent collaborator with Pedro Almodovar) shoots the beautiful beaches and the welcoming inn with such affection that it's hard not to see it as the perfect place to fall in love.
| Features | Lost In The Hurricane: Alternate Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary By Director George Wolfe | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Featurettes: In Rodanthe - An Intimate Look At Nights In Rodanthe With Singer-Songwriter Emmylou Harris; The Nature Of Love - Director George C. Wolfe & The Films Stars, Richard Gere & Diane Lane, Are Joined By Novelist Nicholas Sparks & Singer-Songwriter Emmylou Harris To Share How The Haunted Beauty Of The Outer Banks Conspired With Nature To Inform Their Characters & Inspire A Mythical Love Story; & A Time For Love - An Intimate Look At One Of Literature's Great Over-Achievers & The Passions That Inspired His Fourteen Best-Selling Novels | | Includes Both Widescreen & Full Screen Versions Of The Film! | | Interactive Menus | | Music Video: Gavin Rossdale's "Love Remains The Same" | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 4/28/2009 |
| Running Time: 97 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2008 | | Catalog ID: 1000027151 | | UPC: 00085391186465 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen/Standard 2.40:1/1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew | Scott Glenn | | Mae Whitman | | Diane Lane | | Richard Gere | | Viola Davis | | Christopher Meloni | | Bruce Berman - Executive Producer | | Nicholas Sparks - Source Writer | | Alison Greenspan - Executive Producer | | Denise Di Novi - Producer | | Doug Claybourne - Executive Producer | | Patrizia von Brandenstein - Production Designer | | Affonso Beato - Director of Photography | | Ann Peacock - Screenwriter | | Brian A. Kates - Editor | | Dana Goldberg - Executive Producer | | John Romano - Screenwriter | | Jeanine Tesori - Composer | | George C Wolfe - Director |
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| | Professional Reviews | ReelViews 5 of 10
I can kind-of, sort-of see how this story might work as a novel. Bad dialogue doesn't sound as howlingly awful when not spoken aloud. Idiotic plot contrivances don't seem as painful and obvious. A love affair depends only on the spell woven by the author's words and isn't subject to the whims of flat performances, lifeless direction, and a script that rushes through key moments. Not having read the book, I can't say anything for certain about the magic (or lack thereof) of what Nicholas Sparks wrought with Nights in Rodanthe. About the movie, however, I can comment, and what ends up on screen is nothing short of a travesty...This is the feature debut of director George C. Wolfe, and his inexperience shows. There are some basic, annoying technical errors, such as in the depiction of the hurricane (which, in reality, would have taken the little ocean-front inn out to sea or, at the very least, flooded the cars parked about two feet from the high tide mark). A critical aspect of the film's third act, which relies on written correspondence, is turned into a muddled montage. And Wolfe is unable to provide any sense of life or passion in a story that desperately needs this to rescue it from the grip of self-parody into which it frequently slips. I approached Nights in Rodanthe with the expectation that it was a serious film. Had I expected a comedy, however, I might have gotten more from the experience. Most of the laughs are unintentional, but the result is absurd and laughable. I will admit a certain fondness for two previous Sparks' adaptations, Message in a Bottle and The Notebook, but this isn't in the same league. Nights in Rodanthe is only for those who don't care about true movie romance, as long as people are going through the motions. - James Berardinelli
Reel.com 8 of 10
With the Gulf Coast narrowly dodging Gustav and the Houston area recuperating from Ike, now might not be the best time for a breathy romance that uses the violent lashing of a vicious hurricane to simulate foreplay between passionate lovers...It's hard to fault director George C. Wolfe, however. His Nights in Rodanthe adaptation merely adheres to a blueprint provided by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, who makes use of a tempest in his source novel but also provides earnest human connections and palpable heartache...Rodanthe walks a fine line between maudlin and sappy, but the performers prevent it from ever plunging too far in either direction. Gere understands how best to play a character saddled with an emotional burden. Lane reveals a maternal side, displaying care and sympathetic concern even in her most passionate moments. Rodanthe is far less steamy than Adrian Lyne's 2002 thriller Unfaithful, the last film to pair Gere with Lane. (Or, more accurately, drive them apart.)...Sparks' loyal readers know that a third-act tragedy looms, and those who've read Rodanthe will be prepared for the inevitable rug pull. I'm unfamiliar with how faithful Wolfe stays to Sparks' text, so I'll comment only by saying Rodanthe dabbles in love that's characterized by the ache of separation, and how those feelings can stop a lover's heart...Which is why the knockout blow belongs to Scott Glenn, who delivers a gut-punch of mournful anguish as the husband of Gere's patient who can't accept the fact that his wife is gone. The hurt that lingered in Glenn's sorrowful eyes lingered with me long after the rest of Rodanthe had faded away. - Sean O'Connell
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