Safe Haven Reviews

Safe Haven may be predictable and formulaic, but Hallström gives the proceedings a cosy glow and there are a couple of twists before the end: one blindingly obvious, the other blindingly dumb.

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There's a good twist, the young leads are appealing and anyone who enjoys Sparks' sincere storytelling will enjoy it, even though it's overlong.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5

Watchable, beautifully shot and nicely paced Nicholas Sparks romance, enlivened by strong performances and a decent amount of chemistry between the two leads, though the script takes a nosedive into unintentionally hilarious territory in the final act.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5

Hallström is an old pro at navigating this kind of undemandingly dramatic yarn and does a pretty fine job with Sparks' story.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5

This one is pure Nicolas Sparks and for his millions of fans that is more than enough.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10

From author/producer Nicholas Sparks, the cornball master who gave this generation its Love Story with The Notebook, comes another full-bodied, four-course serving of perfectly prepared romantic mush.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5

Don't let your mind ask questions when you're watching Safe Haven. You'll enjoy the movie better if you don't.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4

We genuinely like watching Hough and Duhamel circling around one another, and the movie has a nice sense of place. That all eventually vanishes with a doozy of a third act.

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Couples could do a lot worse on Valentine's Day than seeing this romantic drama which, although springing from the same author, is far less bathetic than the popular The Notebook.

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Lasse Hallstrom's new film does exactly what an adaptation should: It turns the original material's greatest flaws into assets.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4

The problem with the romantic "Safe Haven" isn't that it plays it safe, but that it plays it cheap. It's also about 10 minutes too long. And there's a final twist that, well, if you have any popcorn left by the scene, you'll want to throw it at the screen.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4

The novels by Nicholas Sparks' have finally been redeemed.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5

Sure, it's occasionally loopy, but also thoroughly suspenseful in spots and rather pleasant as a whole.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4

Safe Haven offers an unsurprising but not unsatisfying tour through recognizable Sparkville terrain.

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A great date movie

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5

While all the emotionally manipulative factors are at play here, how does this end up one of Sparks' better screen adaptations?

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While none of the elements of this Valentine Day release chick-flick are remarkable in themselves, in the gifted hands of director Lasse Hallström, there is definitely magic at work.

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Expect to gag early and often, and consider breaking up with anyone who forces you to sit through this.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4

A bland love story that features a twist that feels more like a dupe.

Full Review | Original Score: C-

It's typical comfort food filmmaking and that's exactly what Safe Haven is: a mouthful of cotton candy. Empty, overly sweet, and likely to kill you from diabetes.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10