So I watched The Choice…
I’ve never read a Nicholas Sparks novel and I’ve only seen three film adaptations of his work but I’m starting to think the man hasn’t had an original idea since The Notebook. I didn’t see this movie’s trailer before I went to see it but I knew exactly what kind of movie it was going to be just from the poster. See the poster had a little tagline – a tagline that has now become the bane of existence for most men – “from bestselling author, Nicholas Sparks” Now I actually like romance movies so I have nothing against Nicholas Sparks and the type of movies his writing inspires. What I do have a problem with is him telling the same story over and over again.
Okay, basic plot: Travis Parker (Benjamin Walker) is a ladies’ man who’s never truly being in love. This all changes when Gabby Holland (Teresa Palmer), an attractive medical student moves in next door. Although the pair initially hate each other, their constant squabbling is actually just a front to hide their true romantic feelings. The two eventually acknowledge their feelings and fall in love. Their lives are seemingly perfect but when Gabby is involved in a car accident and put on life support, Travis now has to make the impossible choice of whether or not to keep her on life support or let her die.
This movie was painful to watch! I have a long list of problems with this movie but let’s start with the most glaring – it’s lack of solid foundation. This is one of those classic romance stories where two opposites attract. This is a great premise for romance because seeing two people who don’t like each other, love each other is really entertaining and adds complexity to their relationship. This movie unfortunately doesn’t devote enough time to the different stages necessary to establish this kind of love-hate relationship. There are about four basic stages that need to be gone through: 1. establish the individual characters, 2. clearly show their mutual dislike, 3. give us an event or situation that overpowers their dislikes and opens them up to romance and 4. launch into their love story. The Choice begins its story at step 4.
The film doesn’t completely omit the first three steps but rather casually strolls through them. We’re shown one incident where the characters don’t get along and the director thinks this will be sufficient to make us believe that these two characters don’t like each other. It isn’t. This lack of solid foundation makes any subsequent romance feel hollow because there’s nothing the couple has had to overcome. The movie and characters also constantly refer to this apparent tension between the leads but since it never truly existed, it feels like watching someone try to put a roof on a house that doesn’t have any walls – everything falls flat. You can, thus, never truly enjoy the spectacle of the romance between the two because you were never allowed to invest your emotion or truly buy into their conflicting relationship.
This movie’s writing and direction isn’t the only problem stopping you from rooting for its leads. The two actors behind this movie (Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer) were horrible. Teresa Palmer in particular really disappointed me. I’ve liked her acting in her previous films like Warm Bodies, Point Break; but in this film she’s absolutely wandered off the reservation. You know when you do an imitation of someone with the express intention of mocking them? That’s the best way to describe her acting. She never feels comfortable with her character nor does she embody its spirit. Benjamin Walker also phoned in this performance here but I found his acting more tolerable than Palmer’s, especially when the two weren’t on-screen at the same time. Their ‘chemistry’ was so wooden and stale that I suspect that mushrooms could grow inside it.
This movie makes an error in continuity that I don’t even think amateur filmmakers make. Without spoiling anything, there’s a time jump of seven years and after seven years you’d expect people to look different. Even those blessed with ageless skin would dress differently, behave differently or bare some indication that a significant portion of time has passed, right? Wrong! The actors wake up from the seven years looking, behaving, speaking in the exact same manner as they did before. It’s just sloppy filmmaking and shows the constant lack of consideration that went into making this ‘movie’. This movie is also far too long and needed a twenty minute haircut. There’s a clear point in the story where the movie should have ended. If it had ended there it would have been a silly, fun romcom but it decides to forge on and enter deeper waters by becoming more serious. This movie wasn’t capable of being fun and silly properly so I don’t know why director, Ross Katz thought it could handle being deep. It can’t and the main reason it fails in an attempt to add depth to its story stems from the fact that it never lays down sufficient foundation on which to base its story.
Overall, The Choice is a mistake. There are several moments where it blatantly rips off The Notebook and you wish you were watching that movie instead. This movie is lazy, poorly-acted and put together by a director who either doesn’t care about creating coherent story or doesn’t have the necessary skills to do so. Either way it isn’t a movie worth seeing. 3/10
KG's Movie Rants 
You are right that all of his stories are very similar and there’s much to distinguish one from the other.
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So true! This was one of the most accurate reviews I have ever read.
I have avoided watching this for so long, because I had an idea about what it would be and it really didn’t sound appealing. For some reason, on two different platforms, it kept being “recommended” for me to watch, so I finally decided to give it a shot. I (incorrectly) assumed that it would at least be a cheesy romcom with somewhat enjoyable banter and a predictable ending. I expected to mostly enjoy it, even though I also expected that it would try to make you root for someone who was cheating on someone they allegedly loved, who did absolutely nothing wrong and seemed like a wonderful person from every angle… that, irks me and was one of the reasons I really didn’t love The Notebook (and do not think of it as one of the greatest love stories). What I was not prepared for, was how awful the acting was. The lead actress was so bad that at first I thought it was going to be a joke that she was intentionally talking in that way, but… it just kept happening. It was so bad and so blatant, that there is no way the director, the editor, or whomever else is in charge, did not notice. Why did they continue with it?! I mean, the leas guy wasn’t the best actor of all time, but I truly believe that if he had a better costar, he would have been much better. They had zero chemistry, she was awkward and wooden. She just delivered her lines like she was sitting in a middle school classroom reading them out loud from a play in a situation where her teacher told her to read that part only moments before. I feel like if they would have used some of the other supporting actors in the leading roles, it might have at least been enjoyable as the cheesy movie that I was expecting. Her acting was just so awful that I actually paused it to google whether this was addressed by other people. I almost turned it off, but I just had to know if it would get better. I had to know if there were some reason that they continued making this. If there were, I missed it.
I also agree with all of your other points. I wish that “The Choice” wasn’t such a popular term, because I would have found your review sooner and saved myself the time. I honestly paused it more than once, but couldn’t find what I was searching for and then decided I was in too far and might as well just get it over with. After it was over, I googled the name of the actress and typed that in and included “was a terrible actress in…” etc. That is how I finally found your review.
I was so confused why they would make it seven years later and absolutely no one looked any different. They didn’t even add a little grey to the main actors, or the father (who was already an older man, so he would have aged more). The kids also looked like they were too old for it having only been seven years since they first met, but… I mean, with everything else, it was just not that shocking.
I cannot believe this movie was made, let alone is still on streaming services and being recommended to anyone. Lesson learned. Stick to my instincts.
I apologize if there are any typos or any of this doesn’t make sense. I just started typing it up and it is longer than I expected it to be, and I don’t feel like proofreading it right now. After all, they clearly didn’t review the movie before releasing it.
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The acting was so bad that this wasn’t even a “good” cheesy movie.
So true! This was one of the most accurate reviews I have ever read.
How was this made? Why didn’t it seem like they even tried to direct or edit it? I know amateur filmmakers with no budget who have made better quality films.
I have avoided watching this for so long, because I had an idea about what it would be and it really didn’t sound appealing. For some reason, on two different platforms, it kept being “recommended” for me to watch, so I finally decided to give it a shot. I (incorrectly) assumed that it would at least be a cheesy romcom with somewhat enjoyable banter and a predictable ending. I expected to mostly enjoy it, even though I also (correctly) expected that it would try to make you root for someone who was cheating on someone they allegedly loved, who did absolutely nothing wrong and seemed like a wonderful person from every angle. That, irks me and was one of the reasons I really didn’t love The Notebook (and do not think of it as one of the greatest love stories).
What I was not prepared for, was how awful the acting was. The lead actress was so bad that at first I thought it was going to be a joke that she was intentionally talking in that way, but… it just kept happening. It was so bad and so blatant, that there is no way the director, the editor, or whomever else is in charge, did not notice. Why did they continue with it?! I mean, the lead guy wasn’t the best actor of all time, but I truly believe that if he had a better costar, he would have been much better. They had zero chemistry, she was awkward and wooden. She just delivered her lines like she was sitting in a middle school classroom at her desk, not face to face with the other people reading, reading them out loud from a play in a situation where her teacher told her to read that part only moments before. There was almost no emotion and the rare times there was any “emotion” or semblance of expression, it just wasn’t believable. There were maybe a couple of bits where it may have worked, had the rest not been what it was. I feel like if they would have used some of the other supporting actors in the leading roles, it might have at least been enjoyable as the cheesy movie that I was expecting.
Her acting was just so awful that I actually paused it to google whether this was addressed by other people. I almost turned it off, but I just had to know if it would get better. I had to know if there were some reason that they continued making this. If there were, I missed it. I wish that “The Choice” wasn’t such a popular term, because I would have found your review sooner and saved myself the time. I honestly paused it more than once, but couldn’t find what I was searching for and then decided I was in too far and might as well just get it over with. After it was over, I googled the name of the actress and typed that in and included “was a horrible actress in…” etc. That is how I finally found your review.
I also agree with all of your other points. I was also so confused why they would make it seven years later and absolutely no one looked any different. They didn’t even add a little grey to the main actors, a slight change of hairstyle or wardrobe style… something?! Or even the father (who was already an older man, so he would have aged more). The kids also looked like they were too old for it having only been seven years since they first met, but… I mean, with everything else, it was just not that shocking.
I cannot believe this movie was made, let alone is still on streaming services and being recommended to anyone. Lesson learned. Stick to my instincts.
I apologize if there are any typos or any of this doesn’t make sense. I just started typing it up and it is longer than I expected it to be, and I don’t feel like proofreading it right now. After all, they clearly didn’t review the movie before releasing it.
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