Plot
A doctor who is traveling to see his estranged son sparks with an unhappily married woman at a North Carolina inn.
Release Year: 2008
Rating: 5.7/10 (8,905 voted)
Critic's Score: 39/100
Director:
George C. Wolfe
Stars: Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Christopher Meloni
Storyline Adrienne Willis, a woman with her life in chaos, retreats to the tiny coastal town of Rodanthe, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to tend to a friend's inn for the weekend. Here she hopes to find the tranquility she so desperately needs to rethink the conflicts surrounding her -- a wayward husband who has asked to come home, and a teen-aged daughter who resents her every decision. Almost as soon as Adrienne gets to Rodanthe, a major storm is forecast and a guest named Dr. Paul Flanner arrive. The only guest at the inn, Flanner is not on a weekend escape but rather is there to face his own crisis of conscience. Now, with the storm closing in, the two turn to each other for comfort and, in one magical weekend, set in motion a life-changing romance that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives.
Writers: Ann Peacock, John Romano
Cast: Richard Gere
-
Dr. Paul Flanner
Diane Lane
-
Adrienne Willis
Christopher Meloni
-
Jack Willis
Viola Davis
-
Jean
Becky Ann Baker
-
Dot
Scott Glenn
-
Robert Torrelson
Linda Molloy
-
Jill Torrelson
Pablo Schreiber
-
Charlie Torrelson
Mae Whitman
-
Amanda Willis
Charlie Tahan
-
Danny Willis
Carolyn McCormick
-
Jenny
Ted Manson
-
Old Gus
Ato Essandoh
-
Jean's Lover
Terri Denise Johnson
-
Medical Resident
Jessica Lucas
-
Admiring Nurse
Filming Locations: Carolina Beach, North Carolina, USA
Opening Weekend: $13,418,454
(USA)
(28 September 2008)
(2704 Screens)
Gross: $41,840,908
(USA)
(11 January 2009)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
By January, 2010, shoreline erosion had left the Serendipity house completely in the surf. New owners hired one of the companies that moved the Cape Hatteras lighthouse to move Serendipity to a somewhat less spectacular but somewhat safer nearby lot in Rodanthe. Only the house's exterior appears in the film - the interiors existed only in a studio. The owners reportedly plan to remodel the house, recreating the studio interiors, to enhance its value as a vacation rental.
Goofs:
Errors in geography:
The wild horses do not exist where the movie takes place. They are actually about 60 miles north near Corolla. They would have to swim across a wide inlet to get to Rodanthe from Corolla. Another herd of these wild horses is on Ocracoke Island, about 35 miles south, but are penned in for their protection. Another herd of these wild horses are located on the Cape Lookout National Seashore, and freely roam between Cape Lookout, Shackleford Banks, and Carrot Island, near Beaufort, NC.
Quotes: Dr. Paul Flanner:
We all make choices, Adrienne. You chose that life, you chose that man. Do you even remember who you really are anymore? Adrienne Willis:
Just stop it.
User Review
Not entirely successful but not a bomb
Rating: 7/10
Dr. Paul Flanner (Richard Gere), a successful surgeon, has his wife
leave him, his son (an uncredited James Franco) not respect him and
looses a patient he's operating on. Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane) has
two children and discovers her husband has cheated on her. They both
need to get away. She watches over a beautiful oceanside inn in
Rodanthe at the same time he books a room. They're all alone together.
You can pretty much figure out the rest.
This is what's known as a weepie or a woman's film. It's beautifully
shot with a romantic setting and lots of quiet scenes. There's tragedy,
romance, more tragedy and an uplifting ending (sort of). The great
acting by Gere and Lane helps disguise the fact that this film isn't
really about much. Every single bit of the plot is predictable. I
rolled my eyes a lot at some of the events. Also it's far too short--I
didn't believe the romance between Gere and Lane for a second. If comes
out of nowhere and moves VERY quickly. Still the movie does work. The
inn itself is absolutely gorgeous and I was in tears by the end along
with most of the audience. So it's a predictable but gorgeous movie
with some wonderful acting. It doesn't deserve all the criticism it's
getting. I give it a 7.
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