"THE VOW" (2012) (Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum) (PG-13) QUICK TAKE: Romantic Drama: A car accident gives a young wife severe memory loss, which means her husband has to win her heart all over again. PLOT: Leo (CHANNING TATUM) and Paige (RACHEL McADAMS) are a young husband and wife living in Chicago. They are head over heels in love with each other. He owns a recording studio and she is an up-and-coming sculptor and artist. On the way home from the movies one wintry night, a snow plow barrels into their stopped car from behind, sending Paige through the windshield. She is in a coma for days and awakes to severe memory loss. She can't remember her life with Leo. She does, however, remember her years before giving up law school; moving from the suburbs to the city; and becoming estranged from her father, Bill (SAM NEILL); mother, Rita (JESSICA LANGE); and sister, Gwen (JESSICA McNAMEE). They re-enter her life and try to take control of her recovery, urging her to move back home with them after five years of not speaking. Leo insists she come home with him and try to fill in what is still missing - a strategy her physician, Dr. Fishman (WENDY CREWSON), agrees with. Nothing is familiar to Paige back in Chicago, and she soon finds herself drawn to what she knows. Even worse for Leo, she finds herself attracted to Jeremy (SCOTT SPEEDMAN), her former fiancé who she broke up with shortly before their wedding years earlier. Growing further apart, Leo decides to woo his wife all over again in an effort to win her heart and save their marriage. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Teenage girls seem the likeliest audience among kids, although fans of anyone in the cast might also be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For an accident scene, sexual content, partial nudity, and some language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: CHANNING TATUM plays a generally good-hearted man who is forced to deal with his wife's memory loss, the result of an accident that was not his fault. She doesn't remember him, but remembers the time before she met him when she lived with her wealthy parents in suburban Chicago and was engaged to another man. He is romantic and gentle, but he can be violent when provoked. He lost both of his parents years earlier and considers his wife and close circle of friends his only family. He is a social drinker, but not to excess. RACHEL McADAMS plays a woman who gets into a car accident and suffers partial and possibly permanent memory loss. She can't remember the last five years of her life when she quit law school, broke up with fiancé, moved to the city, became a sculptor, and got married. She struggles to regain control of her life and is torn between her former life before she became estranged from her family over her father's affair and her new life with her husband and artist-friends. She uses some profanity and is a social drinker. SAM NEILL plays her father, a wealthy attorney who wants his daughter to follow in his footsteps. He cheated on his wife years earlier with one of Paige's friends, which splintered his family and caused his daughter to move away and cut off all contact. He is a social drinker who uses some profanity. JESSICA LANGE plays her mother, a woman who forgave her husband years earlier for his infidelity in an effort to keep her family together. She is complicit in keeping this memory from her daughter, hoping it will not come up. She is also a social drinker. SCOTT SPEEDMAN plays her former fiancé, who wants to reconcile with her when he learns of her memory loss even though she is married to another man who loves her. He has no problem breaking up with a woman he has been seeing for one year to get back with Paige. He is a social drinker who goads Leo into a fist fight at a wedding reception. JESSICA McNAMEE plays her sister, who is engaged to be married. She is also complicit in keeping their father's infidelity from Paige in order to put the family back together again the way it was. She is a social drinker. WENDY CREWSON plays Paige's caring physician. OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this drama that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 6 "s" words, while a few other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. In terms of sexual content, there is much passionate kissing and a married couple is shown in the afterglow of sexual intercourse. Their bodies are entwined in a way that no nudity is shown. We later see the film's male lead completely naked from behind. He is also shown shirtless several times throughout the film, and he and his wife go for a skinny dip in Lake Michigan in their underwear. We also learn late in the film that her father carried on a sexual relationship with one of her best friends. Violence consists of a car accident that sends the film's female lead head first through a windshield where she lands on the hood of her car. This is shown in extreme slow motion. Later in the film, one man punches another man, sending him to the floor. Both instances have bloody results. Bad attitudes are present, as is some potentially imitative behavior, lots of tense family material and various thematic elements. Much social drinking is present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE A flashback shows Leo and Paige meeting for the first time, and he asks her out for "a drink." Leo and Paige share a glass of red wine in a small café as they sample various chocolates. At a surprise party upon her return home, numerous guests are shown drinking beers and other spirits. Paige, Leo, Bill, Rita, Gwen, and her fiancé all drink red wine at a family dinner. Leo, Paige, Gwen, and her fiancé all go to a club after dinner where multiple patrons are shown drinking beer, wine, and other spirits. Paige and her friends order such things as a blueberry Mojito and a whiskey sour. Numerous characters are shown drinking wine, champagne, and other spirits at a pre-wedding party. Paige and Leo have wine on a dinner date. Paige has a glass of wine in the scene where her father tells her that he managed to pull a few strings and get her into law school. Many people are shown consuming champagne at Gwen's wedding. At a reception after the wedding, many people are shown drinking wine and other spirits. Bill pours himself and Leo a drink from an expensive bottle of whiskey. They both take swigs. BLOOD/GROSS STUFF We see Rachel at the crash scene and in the hospital immediately afterwards with several very bloody facial cuts from going headfirst through her car's windshield. Leo has some mild facial bruising as a result of the crash. Rachel lies comatose in the hospital for several scenes, with stitched facial cuts visible. Her healing wounds are visible throughout the film, gradually diminishing as time passes. While driving, Paige asks Leo, "Did you fart?" He at first denies it, then confesses that he did indeed break wind. He puts the window down to get some fresh air in, but Paige closes it. The two then profess their love for each other. Leo punches Jeremy in the face at a wedding reception, sending the man hard to the floor. Jeremy is then shown with blood trickling out of his left nostril. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We learn through dialogue that Paige has not spoken to her mother, father, and sister for five years. We assume for much of the film that it was because she quit law school against her father's wishes, became an artist, and moved into the city from the suburbs. SPOILER ALERT: Late in the film, we learn the real reason was because her dad had an affair with one of Paige's best friends, and that her mom eventually took him back. Leo refers to a stray cat that Paige is feeding as a "fleabag." When Leo laments that he is going to have to make Paige fall in love with him all over again, one of his friends cracks, "I'm surprised she went for you the first time." Another friend jokingly tells him to look on the positive side, that at least she won't remember all of the mistakes he has made. Leo arranges for a surprise party for Paige upon her return home to try and flood her senses with memories of her old life. The plan backfires and Paige becomes very angry with him. Paige yells at Leo and orders him to "get out" soon after. Bill and Rita are dismissive of Leo and openly rude to him throughout the film. Paige doesn't notice how hurt Leo is that she can remember all of the neighbors and homes on her old street, but can't recall any of their life together. When Leo tells Bill, Rita, Gwen, and her fiancé that his parents are dead, they have no reaction and no one tells him they're sorry to hear that. When Leo tells Paige's family that he owns a recording studio that aspiring musicians can use to produce their music, Gwen's fiancé asks, "Isn't that a dying field?" Jeremy kisses Paige despite being in a one-year relationship with another woman. He eventually breaks up with this woman (off-camera) for another chance with Paige. Paige yells at Leo when he tries to recreate the working conditions she used to love when she was alone in her studio sculpting. He finally erupts at her, too, yelling at her to know that the whole situation has been very hard on him, too. As he tries to woo back Paige, Leo continually pawns off work on his assistant, Lily, to the detriment of their business. Bill admits to "pulling a few strings" to get his daughter back into law school, something he does without asking her. During a disagreement with his wife's father, Bill, Leo calls the older man a "coward" and a "hypocrite" and tells him he is "no family man." Bill urges Leo to divorce his daughter and tells him he is too deep in debt to continue his marriage and that Paige isn't remembering their time together anyway. At the wedding reception, Leo and Jeremy get into an argument about Paige's feelings for the both of them. After Leo tells him what Paige was feeling when she broke up with him years earlier, Jeremy snidely replies, "I'll mull that over while I'm in bed with your wife." FRIGHTENING SCENES A snow plow bears down on Leo and Paige as they are stopped at a traffic light. The entire scene is filmed in extreme slow-motion, and we see the impact of the much larger vehicle on the couple's small car. This is followed by Paige, who has just unhooked her seatbelt, going head first through the windshield and landing on the hood of their car. We are mildly scared for Paige who goes venturing out of her home and into the busy streets of Chicago's North Side only to forget where she is, become very lost, and have to call her mother for help. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Sh*t!" "That's total bullsh*t!" "…sh*t is slipping," "Even with this crazy sh*t going on," "Damn it, Paige!" "I have a G-damn headache!" "What the hell were your thinking?" "It was really annoying having her stranger husband c*ck-block her!" "I get why you're being such a d*ck," "I'll mull that over while I'm in bed with your wife," "You're an idiot," "That was such a bonehead move," and "That sucks." While driving, Paige asks Leo, "Did you fart?" He at first denies it, then confesses that he did indeed break wind. He puts the window down to get some fresh air in, but Paige closes it. The two then profess their love for each other. Leo and Paige get married in one of the galleries of the Art Institute of Chicago in front of their friends. Soon after they are pronounced husband and wife, building security rushes in and we find out that they have been conducting the ceremony without permission. All concerned run away before being apprehended. Paige feeds a stray cat. Paige discovers that she has a very large back tattoo. A married Paige goes to see her ex-fiancé, Jeremy, and concedes that she is still attracted to him. As he tries to woo back Paige, Leo continually pawns off work on his assistant, Lily, to the detriment of their business. It is learned that Leo and Paige skinny-dip once a month in Lake Michigan, inspired by an elderly waiter who once told them that doing so had been one of the keys to his long and happy life. Bill admits to "pulling a few strings" to get his daughter back into law school, something he does without asking her. Leo and Jeremy get into an argument about Paige's feelings for the both of them at Gwen's wedding that ends up in fisticuffs. Paige doodles and sketches in class instead of listening to her law professor's lecture. His marriage now over, Leo takes to feeding the same stray cat that Paige had been feeding months earlier. He takes the cat in and makes him his pet. JUMP SCENES Because the accident sequence is filmed in extreme slow-motion, the "jump" aspect of the crash is severely muted. However, it is a bit jarring to watch Paige go head first through her windshield and land on the front hood. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A minor amount of tense music occurs in the film, specifically in the lead up to the accident and in a brief sequence where Paige becomes lost in the city. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Meat Loaf's "I Would Do Anything For Love" anthem is played early in the film for comic effect. The chorus has the singer wailing that he would "do anything for love … but I won't do that." And it's been debated over the years what exactly "that" means. PROFANITY At least 6 "s" words, 2 slang terms for male genitals ("c*ck" and "d*ck"), 1 slang term for sex ("do it"), 4 hells, 1 ass, 1 damn, 3 uses of "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "G-damn" and "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY Paige unhooks her seatbelt and starts kissing on Leo and tells him that she's heard that a guaranteed way to get "preggers" (or pregnant) if you "do it" in a car. The couple then shares a long kiss. Leo gives Paige sexy lingerie as a present with a Post-it note attached that reads: "For later." Leo and Paige share a long kiss when she agrees to move in with him. Paige and at least one other female attendee wear dresses that show cleavage at Leo and Paige's wedding. Paige and Leo share a long kiss soon after being pronounced husband and wife. Leo tickles Paige and kisses her on the neck long and hard, causing the two of them to fall to the floor of her sculpting studio. They then share a long kiss on the mouth while on the floor, and she starts to pull his shirt off. We see him shirtless from behind. Off-screen sex is then implied, as the scene cuts to the next morning as the happy couple lies sleeping in bed. We see Paige lying on her stomach naked from the waist up and draped across a shirtless Leo. We also see his bare legs sticking out of the covers. Blankets and arms cover any overt nudity. To try and jog her memory, Leo plays an old phone message for Paige in which she says suggestively, "I need some Leo time … if you know what I mean." A photo in Leo and Paige's home shows a shirtless Leo. Leo sleeps shirtless on a sofa. Leo gets up the following morning and reveals that he has been sleeping completely naked. We see him nude from behind for several seconds as he walks towards the bathroom. In the bathroom, he surprises Paige who is wearing just a bra and panties. He quickly covers his privates and apologizes, telling her that he always walked around nude in the morning before her accident. Leo's co-worker Lily asks Leo what were Paige's old sexual turn-ons. She is surprised to learn that Paige used to like to be tickled, responded that she was "into kink." Leo tells her it was just innocent fun. Leo laments to Lily that Paige didn't appreciate him "c*ck-blocking" her old fiancé, Jeremy, when they were at a club the night before and he was there. Paige hugs Jeremy in his office, and the two share a lingering kiss on the lips. It is learned that Leo and Paige skinny-dip once a month in Lake Michigan, inspired by an elderly waiter who once told them that doing so had been one of the keys to his long and happy life. Paige and Jeremy strip down to their underwear and go for a quick swim in Lake Michigan. When they emerge from the water, you briefly see that their underwear is see-through. Paige and Leo kiss long and hard in their old home in Chicago. She tells him that, despite what the old Paige would have done, the new Paige will only let him get to "first base." After a long and romantic kiss, she says he can get to "second base, tops." Several female attendees of Gwen's wedding wear dresses that show cleavage, including members of the wedding party. At the wedding reception, Leo and Jeremy get into an argument about Paige's feelings for the both of them. After Leo tells him what Paige was feeling when she broke up with him years earlier, Jeremy snidely replies, "I'll mull that over while I'm in bed with your wife." Leo is shirtless when taking out the trash. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We learned that both Leo's mother and father died years earlier. We learn through dialogue that Paige has not spoken to her mother, father, and sister for five years. We assume for much of the film that it was because she quit law school against her father's wishes, became an artist, and moved into the city from the suburbs. SPOILER ALERT: Late in the film, we learn the real reason was because her dad had an affair with one of Paige's best friends, and that her mom eventually took him back. Bill and Rita bicker with Leo over whether Paige would have a smoother transition out of the hospital at their home or back home with Leo. It is learned that Paige last remembers living with them and going to law school. Bill and Rita want to use their daughter's memory loss as a second chance to put their family back together. Leo wants Paige to come home and put the pieces of her life back together that she can't remember. SPOILER ALERT: We learn late in the film that Leo is aware of the reason Paige left years earlier, but has opted not to reveal that secret to Paige because he did not want to be vindictive towards her family and because he wanted to win her love back in a natural way. Paige disappoints her mother and father by moving back in with Leo. Leo gets very worried when he comes home and doesn't find Paige. He has to cancel a work commitment while he waits for her. She finally comes home and tells him she did indeed get lost in the city and had to phone her mother because it was the only number she knew. They then spent the afternoon together shopping without any thought that Leo might be worried. Bill and Rita are dismissive of Leo and openly rude to him throughout the film. When Leo tells Bill, Rita, Gwen, and her fiancé that his parents are dead, they have no reaction and no one tells him they're sorry to hear that. A day after they quarrel, Leo comes home from work to find his wife packing and his father-in-law emerging from their bathroom and eager to take her to the family's suburban home where she will spend the following week or so helping her sister out with her upcoming wedding. During a disagreement with his wife's father, Bill, Leo calls the older man a "coward" and a "hypocrite" and tells him he is "no family man." Bill urges Leo to divorce his daughter and tells him he is too deep in debt to continue his marriage and that Paige isn't remembering their time together anyway. Paige chastises her sister for keeping their dad's affair from her after her memory loss. Paige confronts her mother about the affair, and she tearfully says she eventually came to forgive him to keep her family together, but then was despondent when Paige left and cut off all contact with the family. Paige has to tell her dad that she is once again leaving law school and moving into the city to pursue art. He laments that he has "gone wrong" all over again, but she tells him that she will not cut him out of his life again. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Brain injuries. Dealing with the effects of memory loss. The real-life couple who inspired this movie. Choosing the life and career you want as opposed to the direction and job your parents want. Adultery. VIOLENCE A snow plow truck bears down on Leo and Paige as they are stopped at a traffic light. The entire scene is filmed in extreme slow-motion, and we see the impact of the much larger vehicle on the couple's small car. This is followed by Paige, who has just unhooked her seatbelt, going head first through the windshield and landing on the hood of their car. Leo punches Jeremy in the face at a wedding reception, sending the man hard to the floor. Jeremy is then shown with blood trickling out of his left nostril. A few times during the film, Leo punches objects such as tables and walls out of frustration. Paige jokingly asks Leo if he is actually a stalker who is going to strangle her to death with her own purse. Reviewed February 8, 2012 / Posted February 10, 2012