Wow! Such a good movie.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

First off, I didn't read the book. I wish I had, but now I certainly will after having just watched the film. It is a bit choppy. You can definitely tell that there are key elements missing from the script which obviously had to be cut down from the book. I hate that. This film reminded of Sleeping with the Enemy in A LOT of ways, but in the case of this film there were a few pleasant and rather touching surprises. I was not expecting such a smart little twist! Of course like most films there was a lot of smh moments like when the little girl was asked about Katie by the police man and she did good by lying, but never thought to mention it to Katie or her Dad!?!? Even when her Dad immediately came in after he asked. lol It's ridiculous things like that that really make me frustrated with movies. The whole husband thing was hard to believe as well. Not enough back story and how was he running around chasing her seemingly unwounded right after she stabbed him!? There's more ridiculousness, but I don't recall the specifics. I tried to just let it slide for the sake of enjoyment. It's still a wonderful film. I just wish they would have worked harder on the kinks and gave us more. This story deserved better, but I still HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

It's called 'Safe Haven' and everything about the film screams 'safe' - safe filmmaking, safe casting, safe music. All creative decisions are so bland and 'non-threatening' that the film has no real character. It's watchable, but completely unengaging and you simply don't care what's happening. Avoid.

This was a fun little movie that kept me entertained and all, although honestly I felt that it started to drag on a little bit toward the end. The start of it was good and intriguing but the ending left me a bit disappointed. Don't worry though, I won't spoil it in case you still wanted to watch it. It's shot well and could be a fun little popcorn movie or something to have on in the background, but it's no CITIZEN KANE!

Lasse Hallstrom has been responsible for some great films ('My Life as a Dog' being a personal favourite) and there are some good Nicholas Sparks (not a bad writer) adaptations (such as 'The Notebook' though film adaptations are very variable). With such a good book, one of Sparks' most interesting, and a great idea, 'Safe Haven' had potential to work.Sadly, found, as much as it pains me to say it, found 'Safe Haven' to be one of Hallstrom's weaker films. As well as one of the weaker adaptations of Sparks' work. That it is a poor adaptation of the book, which is far more intense and emotional and with character motivations and situations clearer, is actually while something of a problem not as big a problem as how 'Safe Haven' fares on its own terms. There is far more to the problem than it being a poor book adaptation. By all means on its own 'Safe Haven' is not a terrible film, far from it. It's just that it is not a great film either, and it should have been considering its potential.Commencing with 'Save Haven's' strengths, it looks good. Beautifully filmed and with suitably idyllic locations. It begins intriguingly and has a suspenseful climax, although it feels like it belongs elsewhere. Nice soundtrack too. Of the performances, bubbly Mimi Kirkland, charming and hunky Josh Duhamel and especially a very creepy David Lyons fare best. Cobie Smulders does decently in the limited screen time she has. The big halfway through twist was a shocker. However, the romantic element to the story is pure formula and while the romantic chemistry has charm it lacks emotional connection. It would have helped if Julianne Hough gave a stronger performance than the anaemic one she gave. The character of Josh irritates and his change of heart is too out of the blue and rings false. Hallstrom's direction is fairly paint by numbers, not much of his style in sight here, somehow it doesn't feel like a Hallstrom film.The script is both bland and over-egged and the story suffers from a general lack of emotion and charm, the suspenseful climax is an exception. The overlength, due to that the story is so slight, is a further issue. The flashback would have fared better if there was more of an insanity factor to Kevin's character and if the film showed the full effects and intensity of domestic violence. The final twist doesn't work, on paper it sort of does, executed in this film it's daft and manipulative and felt tacked on. Wanted genuinely to be moved by the film and the ending, but was left cold and there were a few scenes like Alex's reaction to the flyer that came over as silly.In summary, average but watchable. 5/10 Bethany Cox