The best thing about The Lightkeepers, a new film by Daniel Adams, is the cinematography. The film was shot entirely on location on Cape Cod, and Adams and his cinematographer, Tom Jewett, fill the screen with a gorgeous expanse of beach, ocean, and blue sky in an attempt to capture what he considers the unique light on the Cape. He says that Jewett really succeeded in getting what he wanted: "The light here is a combination of water, sand, and sky that creates a richness I've never seen anywhere else. It's a big reason why the film looks so beautiful." Adams is right about that; The Lightkeepers is filmed beautifully.
If only the rest of the movie matched the cinematography. Unfortunately though it doesn't. Set in 1912, it is the story of two romances. Seth Atkins, played by Richard Dreyfuss, is a misogynistic lighthouse keeper who one day comes across a young man, John Brown (Tom Wisdom), collapsed on the beach. The young man explains that he has fallen from a passing steamer and claims that he has lost his memory. Atkins takes him on as an assistant, provided that he promises to have nothing to do with women. Of course, the next thing you know two women appear on the scene, an older one, Blythe Danner, working as housekeeper for a younger companion, played by Mamie Gummer. Romance ensues.
The problem is not that the story is bad, it's simply that it’s the kind of thing you'd expect to see on Lifetime, and its outcome is equally predictable. Some of the specifics may be moderately surprising, but the plot's climax is wholly expected. Moreover, though predictable, the characters' actions are not effectively motivated. The young lovers go swimming together; they sit on the beach and talk. Brown exudes a kind of Byronic melancholy, a mystery that is presumably attractive to women. The next think you know, they're in love. What happens is predictable because that's what happens in romantic comedies and this is a romantic comedy. Good romantic comedies can overcome the obvious ending by getting the viewer there with some stylishness. The road in The Lightkeepers, however, is a bit clunky.
Article comments
1 - Stephen Dooling
I'm surprise that this is a romantic comedy 'coz I thought this is drama. Well, this is cool 'coz my fave is comedy like Get Him to the Greek. I just love to laugh always. lol! Maybe one way to lighten up life or the casts maybe are really good on making people laugh; like Russell Brand, Jonah Hill and P.Diddy.