[livstevi21]

I wanna talk about this movie already and I can't see it till the DVD is out....

[broken melody]

I can't wait for it to be released on DVD either

[livstevi21]

I think it's May that it's released in the US. I may get that one from Amazon.com rather than wait for it to released in the UK. I do have a multi regional Blu Ray and DVD player.

[broken melody]

Okay, that isn't too far away then. I will probably wait for a version with subtitles, even if I do have a region free DVD player too.

[livstevi21]

Then I'll finally be able to discuss the movie and Tom's character in it!

[broken melody]

I'm sure it'll be fun to discuss the movie and his character

[livstevi21]

I've waited so long to see this movie, ever since it was first announced. I can't begin to describe how agonising it was when I found none of my local cinemas were showing it!

[broken melody]

Aw well at least you'll still get to see it, even if it isn't at the cinema.

[livstevi21]

True.

[livstevi21]

I ordered The Choice DVD on US Amazon. It should arrive by Friday! Otherwise, I would have had to wait another month for it to be released in the UK. I can wait no more! Finally going to watch it soon. I'm so super excited.

[livstevi21]

Well, I have finally just watched The Choice. And what did I think about it? ...Kinda "meh" to be honest.

I like the romantic/comedy/drama type film. I like a love story that takes place over a reasonable length of time. So even if Tom wasn't in it, I probably would have shown a lot of interest in the film. Granted, I may not have heard of it at first, given that it barely had any reception here in the UK, but I did know of Nicholas Spark's books and know of the film adaptations even though I haven't read the books or seen the films. So I may have discovered it on my own eventually as I like to research new films that spark my interest. I guess, since Tom is in this film, my excitement of seeing him on screen again clouded everything else.

See, this was really the first film that actually looked like my cup of tea in which Tom features. Parkland (2013) was a riveting and thought provoking film, but not something you'd wish to watch over and over again. Draft Day (2014), Tom was only in a couple of scenes and I had zero interest in American Football. So I was thinking, finally, a film that I can watch Tom in and actually be interested in and have a re-watchable quality to it for me. And I guess that's why I ended up having far too many expectations for The Choice.

First off, the two leads, Benjamin Walker (Travis) and Teresa Palmer (Gabby) didn't have that much chemistry in my opinion. They acted well, but I found their characters incredibly dull. Travis was really annoying at times. Also, we never get explanations for things like how long had Gabby been living next door before she and Travis meet? Why was Gabby spending so much time off work when she's a medical student? I did like how she was angry at him for letting his dog knock up her dog Molly.

The screen time Gabby spent with her boyfriend Ryan wasn't enough, and I'm not just saying that 'cause I wanted Tom in more scenes. It was super convenient that Ryan had to go out of town for a few weeks whilst we spent more time with the two leads and their budding relationship. When Gabby frantically knocked on Travis's door as her dog is having her puppies for help (as he's a vet) and they go round to hers, the puppies are already 7 weeks old and look absolutely nothing like their parents. I thought they were chihuahuas at first. So I had to poke fun at that. So, Gabby spends a lot of time with Travis and completely forgets that she has a boyfriend. She invites him for dinner, they talk, he flirts and makes a move on her and they ended up having sex. And here's my quibble. The morning after, Gabby only has one little pang of guilt when she get's Ryan's message on the answering phone. That's it. The next thing you know, they're riding out together on his bike and neither of them talk about the night before. There's nothing from Gabby to say "I can't do this until I talk to my boyfriend." She carries on with him until Ryan comes back. Travis by this point is in love with her and wants them to tell Ryan what happened. But she's hesitant. Next scene, Gabby has written a letter to Travis (apparently he left town) and she had told Ryan. Ryan, obviously left her. But then surprisingly later, he forgives her and they get engaged. What?! Obviously, this must have taken over a period of several months, and I know this film takes place over several years, but it is absolutely terrible at showing it! And then Travis's sister tells him to go after her, so he does, only to find Ryan who tells him she's broken off the engagement and left town herself (gone home to her parents) and punches him. Yeah! Best part of the film by far! So, with a bloody nose, Travis goes to Charleston to find Gabby. She's shocked to see him and doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with him, and Travis ends up proposing and she keeps saying no, no no. Not once did I hear her say yes but the next thing we know they're married. And then the years slip by quicker. They have two kids. And then a fatal car accident changes everything and Gabby ends up in a coma. It must have been some time later when we get caught up to the beginning of the film again as Travis visits her in hospital. He and Ryan seem to be on good terms. Ryan sure is a good sport, y'know, as Travis did steal his girlfriend. I would have loved to have seen how.

By this point, I was getting rather fidgety and really wanted the film to end. The only choice that actually gets any meaning in this film was when Ryan hands over a Do Not Resuscitate form to Travis as it has been (90 days? I forget how long) since Gabby fell into a coma and now has a slim chance of awakening. This is a tough choice to make. How can you begin to decide whether or not to end a loved one's life if you still believe they will come through? If you still have that faith and you won't give up on them. Now that is a tough choice.

But he doesn't sign the form and she eventually awakes. Happy ending with the family. But what about Ryan? Why don't we get to see him moved on, happy with someone? Yeah, ok, I'm biased. But I truly believed Tom's character deserved far more than what he got in this film.

So in the end, I was disappointed by The Choice. I found it rather boring at times and the flow of the film was definitely off. Just so many things didn't sit right. But this was a first viewing. I'm sure I'll re-watch it at least one more time, second viewings can change one's perspective.

[broken melody]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it as much as you'd hoped. I haven't watched the movie yet so I can't really comment, but I will once I've seen it.

At least you got to see Tom, even if he wasn't in the movie that much.

[livstevi21]

Yeah, it was just disappointing, to be honest. But that's just my opinion.

True! It was nice to see him on screen again.

[broken melody]

I finally watched the movie and thought it was alright. The second half of the movie was definitely better than the first.

For most of the movie I didn't even like Travis. He didn't seem charming at all to me. Plus I agree it was really convenient for Ryan to be away for so long. There were times I think Gabby forgot she had a boyfriend, it all seemed a little strange She didn't really seem to feel guilty about cheating.

[livstevi21]

That's exactly how I felt! I didn't find Travis charming at all! And the fact that Gabby had little to no guilt about cheating on her very handsome boyfriend bothered me so much. It was all too convenient that he was away for those weeks that she and Travis spent time together. I thought the movie (and the book) was supposed to be about making many choices in life, and in the end it really ended up only being about one big choice towards the end of the film, with Travis having to decide whether to agree to take Gabby off life support or not. It may have been a poignant choice, but that's really all there was to it. But then I guess it would have been called The Choices.