The Choice

Yet another Nicholas Sparks sudser from the prolific author/producer. This one brings us love on the picturesque North Carolina coast as roguish local vet Benjamin Walker and his new neighbour, medical intern Teresa Palmer, decide they don't hate each other on sight after all. The portentous title, a hospital-set prologue, and words of hard-earned wisdom from Walker's widower dad Tom Wilkinson, alert us that the path of passion will not run smoothly. Thus we're set up for bristling conflict with Palmer's doctor boyfriend, and a fateful final reel that takes tear-jerking manipulation to cynical extremes as the ramifications of that title are played out in full. The two leads are adequate rather than swoonsome, and the script certainly struggles to make them distinctive. Meanwhile, along the way there are sunlit beaches, moonlit trysts, puppies in baskets, wind chimes and a rippling piano score that delivers a full payload of sappy romantic clichés. Meagre fare, even by Sparks's standards.