In this portion of the film breakdown of The Vow we will be going over the cast, crew, and the script in a general overlook and what they add to the film itself.
Cast
Channing Tatum
In the year that The Vow was released, 2012, he was named Sexiest Man Alive by People’s Magazine. Which showcased his physical appeal towards the general public, mainly women. He also in two other films that were released in 2012, Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street. Both of which were successful in their own right but overall story driven than The Vow. While Magic Mike allowed him to really show off his background and 21 Jump Street allowed him to show some humor and be apart of the action, The Vow offered him the opportunity to show some vulnerability and depth while being surrounded with a great supporting cast. However, in this instance he did not arise to the occasion. It may be disappointing that he didn’t shine in this role. Since then he has definitely improved him acting skills a bit but not yet a master of the craft. I hope to see him in a film like The Vow in the future and really rise to the challenge.
Rachel McAdams
The Vow was one of the three films that she put out in 2012. The other two being Passion and To the Wonder. She brings a level of likeability to her characters, good or bad, that makes you want to invest yourself in the story. That makes her a hit for romantic films that are so easy to lose interest in if you don’t have a good cast that put you in the space of the characters to really be apart of their story. It also makes her a good fit for any film and you really see that in this film and the others she has acted in. However, she does need good partners to act against to really bring the story home. She did a fantastic job in The Vow but it could have been on the same level with The Notebook, The Time Traveler’s Wife, or About Time. I’m sure the next Romantic film will really be amazing as long as she has a good script and partner to act with to really bring together the story and the believability of the romance.
Sam Neill
He has been a working actor for nearly six decades, at the time of this post, with a distinctive voice and appearance that sets him apart and instantly recognizable. He’s another actor that pulls you into the story that is being told. You feel his judgement and tone with every look and expressive statement. You feel the disappoint as he looks at the other characters in the scene. You feel the curtness of his dialog. He really makes simple scenes more impactful and allow the heaviness of the words sit on you as if he was talking directly to you. In The Vow, he was the perfect pick to play against Rachel McAdams as her father. You felt the impact of his presence and words while also feeling her pain in certain scenes. Together they brought so much emotion, in a parental figure way, that it overwhelmed the romance of the film and made me wish the focus was less on the romance portion and more on the family dynamic after memory lose. He was a wonderful addition to the film that gave it more of an even weight.
Jessica Lange
She is another amazing actor that has been working for nearly six decades. During the same year that The Vow was released she was also working on American Horror Story a Fox TV show that captivated the nation with its emotion and horror which she had a big part in making successful. In The Vow, she was a subtle addition that did not overpower the other great talents in the film but gave enough emotion and support to hold up the other actors in the scenes while also making the scenes in which she was a pivotal part in more thoroughly significant than they would have been if acted out by a lesser actor. All being said, she was a wonderful to choice and highly underrated as a whole. However, this was released during a time when she was making a resurgence in the minds of those she acted with and the general public.
Scott Speedman
A man well-known enough in the public eye due to his involvement in the Underworld series of films but selective enough in his choices to not have his face or talent oversaturate any sort of media. He gives a believable performance as the additional love interest with all the charm and smugness that makes you love him and hate him at the same time. He is very good at fleshing out the characters that he plays. He added subtle depth with underlying emotion and faults that weren’t as believable with Tatum that helped give the conversations and bickering between the two some legs to stand on. If it had been a different actor in his stead, the performance may have been stiff and offered nothing to prop up Tatum’s character in the story.
Tatiana Maslany
The Vow may have been the last film that she was in before she started really getting recognition for being an amazing actor with the successful show Orphan Black, which the first season was released in 2013. Her performances always feel real, raw, and open as if she’s not just playing a character but just showing the audience another side of herself. She’s not always likeable when she plays a character, unlike McAdams, but you are none-the-less drawn into them. It was interesting seeing her play a very simple role as a buddy to Tatum’s character that acts as a crutch for his characters success and abilities to keep moving forward. Even with her wild talents, the chemistry between her and Tatum were more than a bit off when it came to mild moments of kissing or maybe that was genius of their scene. Hard to tell. All in all, she really brought a foundation for Tatum’s character to keep bouncing off of.
Crew
Director: Michael Sucsy
The Vow is one of three major films that he has directed. The other two being Grey Gardens (2009) and Every Day (2018) both of which were entertaining and well done. As a director, he’s clean, steady, and tells the story in which he chooses, or is given, wonderfully. No real complaints about his ability or the end result. At the end of the day, he’s not wowing anyone with risky choices or an alternative way to take a film to the next level but he’s not a disaster of a director either. He’s even keeled and just what this film needed.
Writers: Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein, Jason Katims, and Stuart Sender
Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein seem to be partners that tend to write together as they have written all the same films together such as I Feel Pretty (2018), How to Be Single (2016), The Vow (2012), Valentine’s Day (2010), He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), and Never Been Kissed (1999). All of which seem to romantic comedies/dramas that were at least mildly successful. They have a talent in balancing the story with humor and emotion. Jason Katims has The Vow (2012), County (2012), and The Pallbearer (1996) as the films under his belt. Not sure how much final say he had in the script that was produced or if he had just done the script initially with Stuart Sender before handing it over. Stuart Sender’s only credit as a writer is for The Vow (2012). However, he has directed ReMastered: The Miami Showband Massacre (2019), Harmony (2012), and Prisoner of Paradise (2002) which he also produced.
Editor: Nancy Richardson
She may not be wildly known to the public but she has edited more than a few popular mainstream films that people may or may not like her more for it. Those films being two films in the Twilight series, Twilight (2008) and Eclipse (2010), two films in the Divergent series, Divergent (2014) and Insurgent (2015), Warm Bodies (2013), Fighting with My Family (2019), and many more. She helps the performances with direct choices that bring forth the visions of the Director and Writers while also pleasing the Producers. She did a tremendous job.
Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Jonathan Glickman, Susan Cooper, J. Miles Dale, Paul Taublieb, and Austin Hearst
The masters pulling the strings along the way to keep things going on time and orderly while also bringing in all the pieces of the puzzle to make films a cohesive, productive, and money making vision. Essentially, they bring everyone to work on a project that they think will be a worthwhile endeavor. Some more experienced or have a bigger role than other but at the end of the day they all get credit. The only problem I have with the film and the totality of the final approvals was for Channing Tatum as he may have brought people to come see the film, at the end of the day he ruined the rewatchability of it. Which is unfortunate that a big name can sometimes overshadow the need for talent for a particular role.
Cinematography: Rogier Stoffers
The Vow was a beautifully shot film if nothing else. It was pleasing to the eye from beginning to end. Rogier Stoffers was worked on more than a few mainstream films where you don’t even question the composition of the film such as Brimstone (2016), No Strings Attached (2011), and School of Rock (2003). He is talented at what he does and we will probably be seeing more of his work in the future.
Production Designer: Kalina Ivanov
She brought a level of aesthetic to the set that made me want to live in it. I wanted to see every nook and cranny of the houses and locations. Everything was used and industrial or formal at time but all of it was warm and inviting in some way. She did a great job having the sets as other pieces to fully fold you into the story.
Composers: Rachel Portman and Melissa Kent
Rachel Portman has worked on a substantial amount of films as a composer and Melissa Kent is typically works as an editor on films so it is unclear where her influence may have been on the soundtrack of this film but it does state on her website that she worked on the film. The sound of the film is very light as in it’s mainly one or two instruments adding an airiness to the film but also a somber tone. It’s interesting and very influential towards bending the feelings of the scenes. Very enjoyable and easy to take in.
Costumes: Alex Kavanagh
The costumes in The Vow felt very of the time which may seem dated and horrendous now but fit the film, audience, and characters very well. Everything that a character wore drew your attention to them and added depth to the character as their personalities were shown through the clothing that they wore. This was a very important role in this film as it was major point in the story. Alex Kavanagh did an excellent job in clothing the actors and making express statements through their wardrobe that can be overlooked in films at times.
SCRIPT
A preface for this section, I could not get ahold of a legitimate script for this film so I’ll keep my opinion limited. From the performance and a verbatim text of the performance, the script as a whole is very simple. It seems that they had a general story and the key point of the story, the vows. Which is all it really needed. The rest was filler. It truthfully probably could have been done in a short film style and would have held more passion rather than stretching it all out to a hundred and four minute film. However, the choice to have a voice narration helped it at times when it hit its slow spots but the biggest flaw of the film is taking it from the male leads point of view and not the female leads. I think it would have been more impactful from the female lead. As a whole, it’s a simple but slightly twisted love story that was done well but as special as it could have been as it’s fairly safe.
Grizzly Era Studios 