The Choice

Travis, a vet in North Carolina, and Gabby, a medical student who moves in next door, cannot stand each other and then fall in love. The second half turns on the decision the title points at: life support. It comes from Nicholas Sparks's 2007 novel and is the eleventh Sparks adaptation. Ross Katz directed from a screenplay by Bryan Sipe. Benjamin Walker plays Travis and Teresa Palmer plays Gabby, with Tom Wilkinson, Tom Welling, Maggie Grace and Alexandra Daddario in support. It opened on 5 February 2016 at number five and grossed 23.4 million dollars worldwide on a 10 million budget, 18.7 million domestically and 4.7 million abroad. Critics were merciless: 11 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with a consensus calling it painfully formulaic, and Frank Scheck describing it as the cinematic equivalent of staring at a Hallmark card for two hours. Metacritic gave it 26. Audiences went the other way with a B plus CinemaScore. Who it is for: people who watch Sparks adaptations knowingly and willingly. Who it is not for: anyone wanting originality. The film runs through every convention of the series in order and departs from none of them.