Valentine’s Day.  The time when all us chicks drag our poor, unsuspecting fellas to the multiplex so we can bond over a sappy love story.  Or rather, the time of year when gals drag their guys to the multiplex for a sappy love story on pain of not being able to watch March Madness in peace, let alone get a little Barry White time, knowwhatI’msayin?  I tend to be the weird chick that would rather head off to a slasher flick than subject myself to boo-hooey romance — except for Notting Hill and The Holiday, because they’re awesome and stop looking at me like that — so it was with great trepidation that I headed into the theater for The Vow.  I like Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls and Midnight in Paris are two favorite films of mine), I like Channing Tatum (uh, hello; Step Up is old school fun).  I like movies based on real events.  And I like The Vow.

It’s amazing that a movie based on a real-life couple’s struggle to find their way back to each other didn’t end up a complete schmoopfest.  Don’t get me wrong, this movie is firmly in the romance genre, and it may even be considered a graduate-level romance flick for die-hard romantics only.  But it’s also a well-crafted, beautifully acted piece of filmmaking that stands out in the pre-Summer Blockbuster wasteland of late Winter movie releases.  The Vow could have easily been a Lifetime Original Movie in multiplex form, something producers threw money at in the hopes people watching the film in theaters wouldn’t notice they could see the same exact movie at home for free.  Instead, The Vow has a layered storyline that goes beyond it’s one-note beginnings and does something many romance movies forget to do; it entertains.

Mmm, to be young, smokin’ hot and totally in love.  Leo and Paige are two crazy kids in Chicago that have decided to spend the rest of their lives together.  They have a fun, flash-mob-like wedding at an art gallery (note to self: great idea), have uber-hip friends and lives that are ripe with promise and talent.  Leo has a recording studio and is blessed with the ability to find and recognize talent, and Paige is an amazingly skilled sculptor that has just nabbed a great job that could bring her nationwide recognition.  But one night, as they’re headed home, they’re rear-ended by a truck, and their lives take a devastating turn.  Paige is left comatose after the accident, and when she wakes, she no longer recognizes Leo.  The time they’ve spent together — in fact the past five years of Paige’s life — are a complete mystery to her.  All she can remember is that she was attending law school and was engaged.  To Jeremy.  Who is most assuredly not Leo.  Paige is unsure and a bit frightened of this Leo fella that tells her they’re married, but Leo is determined to win her as he did the first time they met.  Will he succeed?  Uh.  ROMANCE MOVIE.  There will be no ultimate downers here.

Director Michael Sucsy knows how to tell a heartbreaker of a tale with wit and style; hey, the man wrote and directed Grey Gardens (not the documentary, but the tv movie with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange).  Sucsy knows when to pull away when things are getting too sappy, and when to zoom in close for maximum impact.  Casting stars that know their way around several genres helps give The Vow a feel that is more story, less sap.  Stellar supporting characters like Sam Neill (Alcatraz) and Jessica Lange (American Horror Story) as Paige’s parents Bill and Rita give weight to these roles, and their personal stories feel integral to the story rather than just also-rans.

This movie is based on real-life couple Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, and the book about their story.  The movie makes sure you know that their tale is only “based on actual events”, not an exact retelling.  There are definite departures from the real life couple’s story.  (Thankfully the hardcore Christianity was jettisoned; that would have cast a shadow too heavy for this already weighty up-from-the-ashes tale to bear.)  But the overall theme is the same; love conquers all, if you remember what’s important to you.  A lovely sweet sentiment in a season of overhyped romance and commercialized love.  Guys out there, don’t fear The Vow.  Hey, maybe if you watch it with your ladylove, she’ll crack a beer and watch a little ACC b-ball with you.  As with this love story, anything’s possible.