The Vow...

I am a little behind on my movie-going this year. I saw one of the nine films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars (once the nominations are announced, I like to rush out to the theater and see as many of them as possible before the award ceremony, but this year I was too busy with our new house), and I hadn't been to see a single movie all year so far until today. Hence, when I got a message from Taryn inviting me to see The Vow, I jumped at the opportunity for reasons beyond the excitement that comes with the chance to see a treasured friend.

For well over a decade, Taryn has been my go-to date for seeing the most unapologetic, tear-jerking, eye-candy-filled chick flicks that have come to theaters. I will never forget the summer evening we went to see The Notebook; we were home on break from college, and had agreed that the film looked like "our kind of movie." We went, and wept through the end of the film, sobbed through the walk to the car in the parking lot, and had to sit in the car crying our eyes out until there were no more tears, just so one of us could drive home safely. To this day, Taryn and I still laugh about that epic sob-fest we shared together so many years ago.

That's how we knew we needed to see The Vow together. Sure, it looked corny. Channing Tatum can't even begin to emote, much less act convincingly, but at least the trailer seemed to indicate that his perfect abs would be featured prominently. Rachel McAdams will always be Ali to me, after seeing The Notebook. I went into The Vow expecting not to enjoy it very much, and I wasn't disappointed. But the quality of the film didn't matter so much as the act of going to see it with Taryn.

Even if the movie was bad, we could still wipe away a few tears together, and then commiserate about the film's unsatisfying ending. We could elbow each other when we spotted locations we recognized (the movie was filmed in Chicago). The shared experience of seeing a less-than-stellar film with a friend can make sitting through the movie worthwhile. Would I recommend The Vow? Probably not, unless you have a go-to friend for seeing chick flicks of questionable merit. Then by all means, schedule a girls' night out.