The Choice is more soap opera than fairy-tale romance

Many moviegoers vicariously enjoy the ideal relationships romance movies portray. No one has perfected the saccharine formula better than bestselling author Nicholas Sparks, the undisputed reigning king of romance. The Choice, a new film based on his 2007 novel by the same name, is sure to draw streams of couples to theaters this Valentine’s Day weekend. But the film’s mushy and predictable plot might leave some wishing they had made another choice for date night.

Travis (Benjamin Walker) is the Southern charmer to whom girls just can’t say “no.” Gabby (Teresa Palmer), who moves into the beach house next door to Travis, is the fiercely independent beauty he can’t have. She’s engaged to another man but drawn to Travis, who has a girlfriend who generously bows out when she senses she’s no longer his No. 1.

For the film’s first hour, Gabby and Travis perform a Hollywood-style mating dance. They share a barbecue on the lawn between their houses, take a beer-and-boat excursion with their slightly less attractive friends, gaze at the night sky reflecting on the ocean’s tranquil surface, and test out physical intimacy.

Gabby and Travis cycle through this courtship routine several times. They even talk about God: Gabby says she believes, but Travis doesn’t. Persistent as the tide, though, Travis erodes Gabby’s defenses, which seem to be built on sand, not rock. She finally accepts his marriage proposal. The Choice then quickly fast-forwards almost 10 years, when a tragic event turns the rom-com into a trauma-drama, leaving one of the main characters with a difficult choice.

Watching The Choice (rated PG-13 for sexual content and some thematic issues) is like browsing through the entire “Thinking of You” section at a Hallmark store. But if all the seaside small talk has left some viewer’s heart-strings untugged, the film wields a secret weapon—puppies. The tall, handsome Travis is also a veterinarian who helps birth a litter of roly-poly furballs.

Still, although Gabby and Travis engage in some behaviors that don’t align with Christian dating principles, they do desire marriage and then have children. All of the film’s characters—including Gabby’s jilted former fiancé—respect that marriage bond.

Moviegoers who appreciate a more realistic take on relationships might this weekend better enjoy the story of a separated couple nearing retirement while dealing with their prodigal son—in a galaxy far, far away.