Romance Springs Eternal In 'best Of Me'

Welcome back to the world of Nicholas Sparks, with its kisses in the rain and unconvincing obstacles. If that is damning with faint praise, the cogs here are the same as in his previous love machines: the rough saint from the wrong side of the tracks and the princess who must watch him suffer; the tortured contrivances that keep them apart; some disaster intended as a surprise; and lots and lots of violins. Rest assured, some awful happenstance will keep them apart until they become Marsden and Monaghan, and then, of course, there will be an even more improbable plot device in the stars. [...] you know, fate. Despite all this, and some real howlers in the breathless romance-infused dialogue, the actors are appealing enough and Hoffman's direction calm enough to qualify "Best" as better than its predecessors.