Before we get 10 minutes in, it was already pretty easy to guess where the film was going. The central characters, Dawson and Amanda, are both looking up at the stars, reminiscing about days gone by. We get a couple of corny lines about destiny being written in the stars and I am already rolling my eyes. The story from that point on follows two different timelines, one involving their younger selves and the other the present day. Another recycled idea. We learn about Dawson's troubled childhood and his monster of a father, a man that you can't believe he's been living in the same house as for 18 years. He meets Amanda and a romantic relationship ensues. I have to say that my favourite actor in the whole film was Luke Bracey as the young Dawson, who gives a tolerable performance. But my GOD, the scenes with him and Amanda were the definition of dull. It's like the director just wanted to get as much kissing in this film as physically possible. We get the kissing under the moon scene, the kissing in the rain scene, the kissing in an exotic lake scene, the kissing on a rooftop scene, the kissing whilst dancing scene, the kiss that one of them regrets scene, and so on. Clichéd does not do justice to just how predictable this movie was.Several unfortunate things happen to Dawson as a young man, straining his relationship with Amanda. This all comes to a head when he is sent to jail for accidentally shooting his friend whilst fighting his father, creating the eventual bridge that kept them apart for so many years. The scenes where the young Dawson gets angry are by far the best in the film, although nothing special really. At least we get to see some genuine emotion though. More time should have been spent developing the relationship between Dawson and the man that takes him in after he runs away, Tuck. It would have grounded the film in something that resembles what it is trying to be about, love. Instead it gets lost in this back and forth between present and past, with the soppy romancing of characters you don't care about. The present day stuff was particularly mundane and void of feeling. A lot of it comes down to the acting, which for the most part was just lazy. In the end we get a bit of a twist ending that I won't spoil, but it doesn't land any emotional punch simply because the film doesn't earn it.
Visually, The Best of Me also woefully underwhelms. Every scene has this super glossy look to it that only adds to the feeling of fakeness. What I like in a romantic drama is for it to feel like I am watching real people in real places. This film felt like I was watching one long dream sequence. I do understand that this type of movie isn't trying to appeal to people like me, but I struggle to see how even very casual film fans will enjoys such mediocrity. Maybe I'm wrong though.
What annoys me the most about films like this is that the script doesn't resemble real human interaction. Sure, it is how people might talk in an ideal world (although I hope not), but everything just ends up feeling too clean cut. The character flaws don't seem like flaws because they are not explored enough, so you end up just thinking that these people are too perfect to be real. You never really get to a point where you want to get invested in the stories of the characters. When you watch a great romantic drama like Before Sunrise, you automatically relate to the people in it because that is how human beings actually speak to one another. With such vapid characters, the story has to be something truly special for me to get on board, and unfortunately The Best of Me does not have that. I can't say that it is embarrassingly bad. I mean, it is just about watchable and sugary enough for perhaps a date night with your significant other. Please though people, go for something with a bit more to say.
Characters: 35
Narrative: 40
Visuals: 30
Music: 40
Overall: 36/100
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