I have been an Amy Smart fan ever since she starred in Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds. This time around I felt my stomach churning as I hoped against hope this film would turn the corner. Instead it got worse.
The film begins with a typical theme to wit: girl (Mary) expects long-time boy friend to pop the question over dinner only to learn he is dumping her. Soon thereafter she finds a phone on the subway, writes a story about the handsome owner James who then texts her from Paris. Despite cell phones and Skype they do not say a word to each other, just brief texts, meaning she remains a total stranger to him throughout the film. Mary plans to learn about James by visiting his phone contacts. As glorious tales of James accumulate he is sounding like a Christian Saint. Now, I am wondering who produced this film.
Worst was James back story. A man she interviews tells Mary a mind boggling tale of James first love and his life's soul mate. James found her, Carey, at age ten. The two were inseparable through schools, living together and planning to marry when Carey suffers a brain injury. James never leaves her side during her coma. The man telling Amy the story was her male nurse/therapist. Happily Carry recovers but has no memory of James.
Incredibly, on the day Carey is to be released a happy as a lark James rushes to her room, balloons in hand. The nurse/therapist is telling Mary that James looked in and saw him, the nurse/therapist holding Carey's hand as he and Carey planned their first date! Yes, the nurse/therapist had stolen Carey from James and is telling this to Mary. There is zero explanation of how this could happen, Especially since James would have spent all the time needed to be with Carey to revive old memories or build new memories using their past experiences, photos, videos, friends, family and the deepest love they had for one another for 15 years. How the nurse/therapist wormed his way into Carey's life is beyond comprehension.
It should be obvious the nurse/therapist had committed sexual misconduct against his patient, Carey. The NCSBN defines sexual misconduct as "engaging in any verbal behavior that's seductive...such as suggesting or discussing the possibility of dating prior to the end of the professional relationship." Here the nurse/therapist admits to Mary he discussed 'dating' Carey while he was treating her. We see Carey reminding him of his 'promise' to date her upon her release. Horrid!
Adding salt to the wound the nurse/therapist brings Amy to his home for an awkward meeting with Carey and their kids. Then, the screenplay has Mary taking a picture of the family James dreamed of having with Carey and then putting the photo into James cell phone! In the final scenes Amy returns the phone to James and has him view the photo of his lost soul mate Carey and her 'new' family. Why would Mary want to torture James this way?
There are only a few minutes of screen time with Mary and James and zero chemistry in the final scene when they meet for the first time. Also, no acting ability on the part of James who has only a few scant lines.
Final nail in the coffin. Last scene has James giving Amy his most personal possession, a Valentine's day card hand made him for his mother hours before she died. He was to give the card to the love of his life. It would be impossible for James to have the card since he would have given it to the love of his life,Carey years earlier. Instead he gives the card to Mary minutes after meeting her. Utter nonsense.
The film begins with a typical theme to wit: girl (Mary) expects long-time boy friend to pop the question over dinner only to learn he is dumping her. Soon thereafter she finds a phone on the subway, writes a story about the handsome owner James who then texts her from Paris. Despite cell phones and Skype they do not say a word to each other, just brief texts, meaning she remains a total stranger to him throughout the film. Mary plans to learn about James by visiting his phone contacts. As glorious tales of James accumulate he is sounding like a Christian Saint. Now, I am wondering who produced this film.
Worst was James back story. A man she interviews tells Mary a mind boggling tale of James first love and his life's soul mate. James found her, Carey, at age ten. The two were inseparable through schools, living together and planning to marry when Carey suffers a brain injury. James never leaves her side during her coma. The man telling Amy the story was her male nurse/therapist. Happily Carry recovers but has no memory of James.
Incredibly, on the day Carey is to be released a happy as a lark James rushes to her room, balloons in hand. The nurse/therapist is telling Mary that James looked in and saw him, the nurse/therapist holding Carey's hand as he and Carey planned their first date! Yes, the nurse/therapist had stolen Carey from James and is telling this to Mary. There is zero explanation of how this could happen, Especially since James would have spent all the time needed to be with Carey to revive old memories or build new memories using their past experiences, photos, videos, friends, family and the deepest love they had for one another for 15 years. How the nurse/therapist wormed his way into Carey's life is beyond comprehension.
It should be obvious the nurse/therapist had committed sexual misconduct against his patient, Carey. The NCSBN defines sexual misconduct as "engaging in any verbal behavior that's seductive...such as suggesting or discussing the possibility of dating prior to the end of the professional relationship." Here the nurse/therapist admits to Mary he discussed 'dating' Carey while he was treating her. We see Carey reminding him of his 'promise' to date her upon her release. Horrid!
Adding salt to the wound the nurse/therapist brings Amy to his home for an awkward meeting with Carey and their kids. Then, the screenplay has Mary taking a picture of the family James dreamed of having with Carey and then putting the photo into James cell phone! In the final scenes Amy returns the phone to James and has him view the photo of his lost soul mate Carey and her 'new' family. Why would Mary want to torture James this way?
There are only a few minutes of screen time with Mary and James and zero chemistry in the final scene when they meet for the first time. Also, no acting ability on the part of James who has only a few scant lines.
Final nail in the coffin. Last scene has James giving Amy his most personal possession, a Valentine's day card hand made him for his mother hours before she died. He was to give the card to the love of his life. It would be impossible for James to have the card since he would have given it to the love of his life,Carey years earlier. Instead he gives the card to Mary minutes after meeting her. Utter nonsense.