Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2013

Little name-that-author quiz: impossibly attractive couple on the poster; gauzy, sunlight-drenched, postcard-perfect North Carolina setting; woozy montages; romantic scene in the rain; manufactured obstacle; happiness ever after. Nicholas Sparks? Bing-bong! Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough are fine, but the sad news is that this pap is directed by the once-great Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat, The Cider House Rules, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?). And this is his second Sparks job. Absolutely OMG-WTF coda involves a letter that would send anyone living on a real planet screaming for the hills. Shameless, Nick. Japanese title: Kimi ni Yomu Monogatari. (115 min)