The plot devices in this film are large. This is not a subtle film, more a gothic melodrama. Jack Willis (Christopher Meloni) isn’t merely unsuitable; he’s abandoned his family for a months-long affair, then returned as if nothing happened. Dr. Paul Flanner (Richard Gere) isn’t merely arrogant, but obsessed with being “the best doctor” at the expense of everything else in his life. Adrienne and Paul are thrown together at the worst time in each of their lives. Each has put their symbolic eggs in one basket, then watched as it broke to pieces. They see each other at their worst. Paul is there to hide; so is Adrienne, each for personal reasons. Paul, the inn’s lone guest, finds himself at Hatteras Island after a tragedy upends his carefully constructed plans. He feels driven ashore like so much driftwood. Both Paul and Adrienne are miserable inside; this is the point of forced change for each. What passed as perfection before was only an illusion which could not withstand a storm. Still, each clings to the shreds of what was left standing of their former life. Then, the symbolic storm materializes. An enormous hurricane batters Rodanthe. Literally, winds of change break down their resistance. (Told you, this film is not subtle.)
We as the audience must suspend disbelief and see past some quirky behavior. We watch as they fall in love over a four-day weekend; they are both seeing each other at their angriest and most lost. Neither seems very lovable. Neither is trying to impress, aside from Adrienne’s duties as host. Even that formality is soon swept aside, as they each unload frustrations meant for others. Hostility replaces hospitality. (She could have at least made sure he had a flashlight for the hurricane, angry at him or not — lawsuit risk!) But the more they yell at each other, the more they intrigue each other. For Paul and Adrienne, vehement arguments seem to be a courtship ritual.
We must overlook other story devices, such as the long correspondence that comes later. Handwritten letters? No email or cell phones? Sure, real letters written on real paper are much more romantic. But since a cell phone or email would have averted something unfortunate later in the film, one questions this storyline convenience. In the end, one mustn’t look overly closely at the details. As an impressionistic poem, the film works. As a life lesson it works. Up close, believability is sometimes strained. Anger is attractive? The innkeeper is a perfect beauty? Two middle-aged adults are that sure after a few days? The viewer must decide to take this film at its word, if it is to be enjoyed. Like certain old Hollywood films, the feeling one is left with becomes more important than the realism or lack thereof.
Article comments
1 - marc james
I loved this movie! Diane Lane was superb!