Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane) is a struggling mother of two. Her husband Jack (Christopher Meloni) wants to come home after 7 months separation with the wife's friend came to an end. Her daughter Amanda (Mae Whitman) is angry at her. She helps her friend Jean (Viola Davis) to watch her inn in Rodanthe on the outer banks of North Carolina. It is off season, and there is only one guest Dr. Paul Flanner (Richard Gere). He is deeply trouble and is there for a mysterious reason.

This is a melodrama with two beautiful middle aged leads. There are no surprises. His problem is slowly revealed. Once it's all out, this runs like straight line. It's not a spoiler to say that they get together. There are no twists in the relationship.

I like the marriage problem in Adrienne's life. I especially like the daughter's anger. It's enough for a good family drama. I would like to have a more simplified story. Dr. Flanner's problem is also compelling but that may be too much. There is too much melodrama going on.

A one-dimensional weeper. Adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' novel casts Diane Lane as a wife and mother who retreats to her friend's empty bed-and-breakfast on the coast of North Carolina after her husband has an extra-marital affair; soon after, she meets Richard Gere, a troubled doctor who has recently lost one of his patients and is facing a malpractice lawsuit. Despite these attractive players, reunited from "The Cotton Club" and "Unfaithful", there's not a single convincing moment to be found--even the stormy-romantic locale seems plastic, a computer-generated confection. The narrative has been engineered to give Lane in particular a real emotional workout: she shouts, she worries, she cries, she laughs, she gets tipsy, she dances with carefree abandon. By the time the plot mechanisms kick in, audiences have had their fill of her. As a result, the finale--weighty with tragedy--doesn't carry much resonance. ** from ****

That's right, we've got a 2008 film using themes of "Brief Encounter," and "The Bridges of Madison County." It's basically the story of lost loves, redemption and a triumph of the human spirit.

The performances by Richard Gere and especially Diane Lane are very good. Gere gives the kind of restrained performance here as a doctor who is searching for meaning, after a patient dies on the operating table. Lane is the mother of a rebellious daughter and a nice young son, who has split from her wandering husband and has also sustained the loss of her father in the same year.

Scott Glenn steals the show in a one scene meeting with Gere. He is the heartbroken husband and he recounts his love to his departed wife, it will bring tears to your eyes.

Fresh from her triumph as an acquiescing mother in "Doubt," Viola Davis appears as an understanding friend in the film and literally hangs her hair down in a rather benign performance.