"The Best of Me" is a 2014 American romantic drama movie directed by Michael Hoffman. The screenplay was written by Will Fetters and J. Mills Goodloe. It is based on Nicholas Sparks' 2011 novel. The film features James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan in leading roles, with Luke Bracey and Liana Liberato also appearing in the cast.
Plot
The film tells the story of Dawson and Amanda, showing different parts of their lives in 1992 and their current separate lives.
Dawson Cole works on an oil rig near Louisiana. An explosion at work nearly kills him, throwing him into water, but he survives. Months later, Dawson learns that his close friend and father figure, Tuck, has died. He returns home for the first time in nearly 20 years to complete Tuck’s final wishes, guided by Tuck’s lawyer.
When Dawson arrives at Tuck’s house, he is surprised to find that Tuck had also invited Amanda, his high school girlfriend. Tuck wanted to help Dawson and Amanda fix a past disagreement. However, Amanda is now married. Dawson was born into a family with a bad reputation and an abusive father. Flashbacks show that as a teenager, he left his father’s home and stayed overnight in the garage of Tuck Hostetler, a local mechanic who had recently lost his wife. Tuck let Dawson live with him and eventually treated him like a son.
Dawson and Amanda went to the same high school and began dating, later falling in love. On the day of the prom, Dawson’s father and brothers attacked Tuck. Angered, Dawson went to his father’s house with Tuck’s rifle, intending to kill him. During a fight, Dawson’s cousin, a young father, was accidentally killed. To get a lighter punishment, Dawson testified against his father and brothers. Because he would not be released from prison for at least four years, Dawson ended his relationship with Amanda, making her choose college over waiting for him.
After Tuck’s death, Amanda and Dawson meet with his lawyer and learn they must scatter Tuck’s ashes at a cottage he owned with his wife. Later, Dawson and Amanda spend a night together. They have lunch and talk about their plans, and Dawson recalls how Amanda once refused to visit him in prison. The next day, Amanda returns to her family and strained marriage to fulfill her responsibilities.
When Amanda goes home, Dawson stays at Tuck’s house to fix the garden. However, Amanda later decides to leave her husband and leaves Dawson a message saying she loves him. Before they can be together again, Dawson is attacked by his brothers, nearly pushed onto a moving train. He knocks them out, calls 911, and is spotted by his father across the tracks. His father shoots him, killing him.
Meanwhile, Amanda receives a call about her son’s car accident. At the hospital, doctors say her son needs a heart transplant. That night, a donor is found, and Amanda dreams of Dawson sitting beside her. When she wakes, her mother arrives to tell her Dawson was shot and killed by his father.
One year later, Amanda’s son calls to say he learned the donor’s name—Dawson Cole. Happy and shocked, Amanda returns to the house Tuck left them. There, she reads a letter Dawson wrote, explaining how much he loved her. She walks through the garden Dawson had carefully arranged for her before he died.
Cast
Michelle Monaghan plays Amanda Collier-Reynolds. Liana Liberato plays young Amanda. James Marsden plays Dawson Cole. Luke Bracey plays young Dawson. Caroline Goodall plays Evelyn Collier. Gerald McRaney plays Tuck Hostetler. Sebastian Arcelus plays Frank Reynolds. Jon Tenney plays Harvey Collier. Clarke Peters plays Morgan Dupre, an attorney. Ian Nelson plays Jared Reynolds. Sean Bridgers plays Tommy Cole. Rob Mello plays Ted Cole. Hunter Burke plays Abee Cole. Schuyler Fisk plays Older April. Robby Rasmussen plays Bobby Cole and Aaron Cole. Julia Lashae plays Clara /think.
Production
On June 17, 2011, Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the novel The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. On March 15, 2012, the studio hired screenwriter J. Mills Goodloe to write the screenplay based on the book.
On September 27, it was reported that Warner Bros. was in final discussions with Michael Hoffman to direct the film. Will Fetters was chosen to rewrite the screenplay, which would be his second adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. Denise Di Novi was set to produce the film, along with Nicholas Sparks and his agent Theresa Park as co-producers. This marked Di Novi’s fifth film collaboration with Sparks, Sparks’ second time producing a film based on one of his novels, and Park’s first time producing a film.
On July 25, 2013, Relativity Media bought the distribution rights from Warner Bros., which would be the studio’s third film adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. On October 22, Michelle Monaghan was cast to play the female lead, Amanda Collier, and Ryan Kavanaugh was set to co-produce the film. On October 24, the studio announced the film would be released on October 17, 2014.
Paul Walker was first chosen to play the male lead, Dawson Cole, but he died in a car accident on November 30, 2013, before filming began. On January 9, 2014, the studio offered James Marsden, who had previously acted in the 2004 film adaptation of Sparks’ novel The Notebook, to take over the role of Dawson Cole. On January 28, Liana Liberato joined the cast as the younger version of Monaghan’s character, Amanda Collier. On February 12, Luke Bracey was added to the cast to play the younger version of Marsden’s character, Dawson Cole. On March 12, Sebastian Arcelus and Gerald McRaney joined the cast. Arcelus played Frank Reynolds, Amanda’s husband and father of her children, while McRaney played Tuck, a widower who takes in young Dawson and becomes a friend and father-like figure to him. On March 25, Jon Tenney was added to the cast to play Harvey Collier, Amanda’s father.
Principal photography began on March 6, 2014, in New Orleans, Louisiana, for a 42-day shoot. On April 30 and May 1, filming took place in downtown Covington, Louisiana. Additional scenes were filmed in parts of Pearl River, Louisiana.
On June 27, 2014, it was announced that composer Aaron Zigman would create the music for the film.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album for the film was released on October 7, 2014. It includes original songs mainly from the country music genre, performed by artists such as Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, David Nail, Colbie Caillat, Kip Moore, Eli Young Band, Eric Paslay, Thompson Square, and Thomas Rhett. "I Did with You" by Lady Antebellum was released on September 8, 2014, as the first promotional single from the soundtrack. Another song by the band, "Falling for You," is also included on the deluxe edition of their fifth studio album, 747.
The list of song titles and artists was published by Taste of Country.
The album debuted at number 54 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 6,200 copies during its first week of release.
Reception
The Best of Me opened in North America on October 17, 2014, in 2,936 theaters. It earned $26.8 million in North America and $9.2 million in other countries, totaling $35.9 million worldwide.
During its first weekend, the movie made $10 million, ranking fifth at the box office. It finished behind Fury, Gone Girl, The Book of Life, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. This was the lowest opening for a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.
Critics gave the film negative reviews. As of June 2020, it had a 12% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 82 reviews with an average score of 3.64 out of 10. The site’s summary stated, “At nine films and counting, the line between Nicholas Sparks film fans and critics is clear, and The Best of Me will change few minds on either side of the divide.” On Metacritic, the film scored 29 out of 100, based on 26 critics, showing “generally unfavorable reviews.” During its opening weekend, audiences gave the movie an average grade of “B+” on a scale from “A+” to “F” in CinemaScore polls.
Home media
The movie The Best of Me was made available on DVD and Blu-ray on February 3, 2015. On the same day, a special version called the "Tears of Joy" edition was also released on DVD and Blu-ray. This version has a length of 115 minutes and includes a different ending compared to the regular version.