Safe Haven

Movie Title--  Safe Haven

Release Year--  2013

Running Time--  1 Hour and 55 Minutes

Director--  Lasse Hallstrom

Cast--  Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, David Lyons, Noah Lomax, Mimi Kirkland, Cobie Smulders, Irene Ziegler

A mysterious woman arrives in Southport, North Carolina and after forming a bond with a widower and his children, must confront her dark past that she has been so desperately trying to escape from.

A young woman runs from her home after dropping a bloody knife, running to her neighbor's house looking for sanctuary.  She is then shown at the bus station with newly bleached, short hair.  She purchases a ticket and narrowly escapes the man chasing her.  The bus stops in Southport, North Carolina for a short break and after spending a few minutes there, she decides not to get back on the bus.

She finds a small house out in the middle of no where and then goes into town to pick up some supplies, where she meets Lexi (Mimi Kirkland), the daughter of the general store's owner and she introduces herself as Katie (Julianne Hough).  She then meets Alex (Josh Duhamel), Lexi's father, who immediately takes a liking to her and does small jobs for her to try to impress her.  Lexi takes an immediate liking to Katie but Alex's son, Josh (Noah Lomax), is resistant because he feels like she is trying to replace his mother.

Back in Boston, Kevin Tierney (David Lyons), the police officer that has been looking for Katie, uses his authority to put out an APB saying she is wanted for murder.  When Alex sees her picture at the police station, he confronts Katie.  He is angry that he has brought her into his life and around his children while all along she has been lying to him and doesn't even trust him enough to tell him what her story is or what her real name is.  He then tells her that she needs to leave.  Katie goes home and packs while her friend Jo (Cobie Smulders) tells her that she shouldn't just leave but Katie insists she has been in town for too long.  

Katie goes to the ferry where Alex finds her then admits that he has fallen in love with her and tells her that if she stays, he will protect her from anything.  She finally tells him that she is the wife of police officer Kevin Tierney.  She then goes on to say that she stabbed him in self defense and is on the run from him.  Meanwhile, in Boston, Kevin's boss has put him on unpaid leave because he has been drinking on the job.

Unknown to Katie, Kevin decides to take his time to search for her.  It is only a matter of time before Katie will find out if Alex really will be able to protect her or if she will be at the mercy of her cruel husband.

I enjoyed this film.  I won't lie, it is a chick flick, so it probably isn't going to be a choice that any of the guys out there that is looking for a film but for anyone looking for a love story, this is a pretty good one.  I feel like it isn't just a love story but also a story of overcoming your fears so that you can carry on with your life.  

This is based off the book "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks.  I am a fan of Nicholas Sparks, so I had a feeling that I would like this film and I wasn't disappointed.  I was already a fan of Josh Duhamel but other than seeing Julianne Hough on Dancing with the Stars, I haven't seen any of the other films she has been in, so I wasn't sure how I was going to like her performance in this film.  I can say for sure, that I thought she did an excellent job.  I was kinda blown away by the two children in the film, Noah Lomax and Mimi Kirkland, they did an amazing job and they are super cute.  

All in all, I think this film is just great.  As I said before, this may not be a film that a male would want to sit through but I think that it would be a great film to sit down to during girl's night.  Call your favorite girlfriends over for this one and Don't Forget the Popcorn!