From the film’s description:

U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq, with the one thing he credits with keeping him alive – a photograph he found of a woman he doesn’t even know. Discovering her name is Beth (Taylor Schilling) and where she lives, he shows up at her door, and ends up taking a job at her family-run local kennel. Despite her initial mistrust and the complications in her life, a romance develops between them, giving Logan hope that Beth could be much more than his good luck charm.

There is a strong tradition for wonderful romantic movies to be made based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novels – think The Notebook, Dear John, A Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember. So when I heard they were making a film of The Lucky One, I knew at once it would be a poignant movie that would sweep me away – and how right I was!

This film is romance incarnate. It made me smile, it made me cry, and it gave me that wonderful ‘ah, love!’ feeling over and over again. The story is simple but powerful, but for me two things make the film jump out as being exceptional:

• The hero: He makes the movie, evoking smouldering, intense on-screen chemistry. Gone is the boyish Zac Efron, replaced with a centred and mesmerising man who knows just how to make his female audience melt. A Marine, he’s a little more reserved and quiet than I’d usually prefer in a hero, but this only adds to the intensity of the film, and for me every word of his dialogue is spot on; for example, ‘You should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute.’ A perfect modern-day romance hero, and actually, come the end of the film, he really lives up to that ‘hero’ title.
• The setting: Utterly stunning. Most of the filming took place in Louisiana, and if nothing else the film stands as a wonderful advertisement for its tourism board! The cinematography is beautifully executed, and my lasting impression after watching the film was of light and colours – vivid and moving, and the perfect backdrop for romance. I love that the setting is enough for the characters; that they don’t need the bustle and lights of the city, but will happily spend their days with animals and family amid breathtaking nature – a far cry from the opening scenes in Iraq.

It seems that critically the film was not well received. Don’t let that deter you! This is pure, beautiful romance – the kind that high-brow film critics rarely praise but we who love the romance genre thoroughly enjoy.

You can watch the trailer here: