Nights in RodantheMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Nights in Rodanthe."

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Avg. Critic Score: 39 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 OK for kids 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Once a hurricane blows Gere and Lane into each other's arms, all the director's tasteful style and good sense turn into mush. Given the material, I suppose it has to. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen

    A tasteful melodrama courtesy of the easy chemistry between its two leads and a generally restrained touch from Tony-winning director George C. Wolfe in his feature debut. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    The film tastefully yet unenergetically chugs along. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    What really sells this three-hanky tear-jerker -- and there were a lot of women buying it during a recent screening -- is Lane's steely and vulnerable performance. Like Tinker Bell, she almost made me believe in fairies. Almost. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Brian Lowry

    Hardly groundbreaking, but for those with an appetite for an increasingly rare gust of unapologetic romance, well, as they say, any port in a storm. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Staff [Not Credited]

    It's tough to make it through Nights in Rodanthe without wincing at its sticky-sweet sentimentality. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Lane and Gere mime adult courtship with the efficiency of synchronized swimmers. Yet in this ocean of emotion, they look like they're drowning. Read full review

  • 38
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The movie attempts to jerk tears with one clunky device after another, in a plot that is a perfect storm of cliche and contrivance. In fact, it even contains a storm -- an imperfect one. Read full review

  • 30
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Less than the sum of its parts, which were problematic to begin with. Read full review

  • 10
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    It's no wonder the faithful continue to forsake the movies, given junky embarrassments like Nights in Rodanthe. Read full review

View more reviews for Nights in Rodanthe on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ Weepy romance is tame but may not interest teens.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that -- in terms of swearing, sexuality, violence, and commercialism -- there's hardly any age-inappropriate content in this romantic (if cliched) drama based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. That said, it may not interest a lot of young since since it deals with mature subjects like infidelity, divorce, and death (albeit with plenty of empathy). Adult characters drink heavily in one scene.
  • Families can talk about the questions the movie raises. Is there such a thing as a soul mate? How do you know who the right person is for you? What do parents "owe" their children? Do you agree with how the main characters resolve their dilemmas? Families can also discuss how this movie compares to other romantic dramas. What do they tend to have in common? Do you care if certain parts of a movie like this one are predictable, or are you just in it for the escapism of it all?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: Two people nurse each other back to emotional health; some allusions to infidelity, though no trysts are shown. Friends are quite supportive of one another. Parents seem genuinely concerned about their children.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: A storm cuts a violent swath through the town of Rodanthe. Couples fight heatedly. A man kicks a car out of anger and lurks menacingly.
  • sex false2 Sex: A couple falls into bed together; only their faces are shown. They're also seen lolling about under the covers, with shoulders bared.
  • language false2 Language: One use of "s--t"; otherwise, "son of a bitch," "hell," and "ass" are about as salty as it gets.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not too many products, though the movie could serve as a tourism reel for the Outer Banks.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Two adults drink heavily in one scene; some additional social drinking.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

I’m not even a woman and I’m thinking this is kind of the perfect movie. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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