I’ve been thinking a lot lately about “throw-away” marriages and I’ve got to say it breaks my heart. I’m not sure what the cause is, much less the cure, but I suspect the reasons are multi-faceted.
I enjoyed The Vow primarily because it is a film based on a true story with an incredible message. Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) are newly and blissfully married. On their way home one snowy Chicago evening they have a tragic accident and Paige is thrown through the car windshield and suffers a severe brain injury. After weeks in a deep coma Paige awakens to her old world; her old, old world. She has lost the last five years of her life, including Leo.
Now, in case this is not problematic enough, she has lost all feelings for him as well. What is truly problematic is that she does remember her well-to-do family and former fiancé, all of whom Leo has never even met. So now, we’ve got the good guy, (new) husband, trying to start all over again creating a relationship when his wife has memories and, she thinks, feelings for this whole other life before Leo.
Even though Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum have both starred in a Nicholas Sparks movie or two, I want to mention that The Vow feels to me to be more of a drama-romance than a romance-drama. This should be somewhat of a relief to some of you guys who don’t tend to cry at movies. Besides, this one ends well.
The book, “The Vow: The True Story Behind the Movie,” was written by Kim Carpenter. The story is untouched by Hollywood of Kim and Krickett Carpenter. The main difference is that the real people shared a faith that was the core of the story. This doesn’t mean the situation was easy, just different. Not only was Krickett’s memory gone, the amnesia appeared to alter her personality. Kim was quite literally married to a different person. This is when their vows kicked in. “Til death do we part” left him with a wife who didn’t know him, maybe didn’t want to and had a dramatic personality change. I wonder, what would I do?
Kim, a baseball coach went back on road with his team after the insistence of his in-laws. He called every evening to speak to a wife who didn’t really want to talk to him. This went on for weeks when one night, a little later than usual, he summoned the strength the call yet again. When his mother in law answered the phone she said the words he had been waiting to hear, “There’s somebody here who wants to talk to you.” Even though when Krickett got on the phone all she said was “Got to go now, bye,” it was the encouragement that he needed.
The Vow has an all-around good cast including Jessica Lange and Sam Neil as Paige’s parents and Scott Speedman as Jeremy the low-life (oops, almost gave it away) old fiancé.
Whether you’re married for the first time or want whatever marriage you’re in to be your last, watch The Vow, read the book or both. This #1 box office hit may just save a few marriages! As always, I welcome your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com.
Leave a Reply