Director: George C. Wolfe
Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Christopher Meloni, Viola Davis
Release Date: Oct 16

Whether or not two actors share that ineffable quality known as chemistry is a very subjective judgment call, but it's pretty clear that if Diane Lane and Richard Gere don't have it, no one does. The two are so attractive together, and seem to have such a genuine fondness for each other, that it's almost impossible to imagine them not wanting to hook up.

The key to their appeal as a couple, perhaps, is that they're both perfect 10s who, unlike many perfect 10s, seem to possess actual human vulnerabilities.

Even in a movie like Nights in Rodanthe, which is clearly hokum, the two are so good together that you're happy for the time you get to spend with them. If one ignores the clumsy plot machinations and the OTT melodrama, their pleasant company still makes for an enjoyable night out. Well, just barely.

Nights in Rodanthe tells the story of a recently-separated single mother, Adrienne (Lane), who meets a handsome doctor, Paul (Gere), while taking care of her best friend's beachside guest house. Both wallowing in their own sadness, they take comfort in each other's company, and eventually in each other's body. When they are forced to part, they vow to be together again, but fate has its own ideas.

Nights in Rodanthe will not be the sensation the award-winning Unfaithful was, but still, we'd much rather see a Lane-and-Gere flick than not.

THE VERDICT
Not a great movie, but it's great seeing Lane and Gere give it another go.