Safe Haven

PG-13

Released Feb 14, 2013

1 hr. 55 min.

Romance

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

13%

148 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Katie Feldman (Julianne Hough) moves to a small town on the North Carolina coast, determined to make a new life for herself. She takes a job as a waitress and keeps a low profile, but she is soon won over by the warmth and caring of the close-knit community, especially that of widower Alex (Josh Duhamel). With the help of Alex and his children, Katie learns to love and trust again -- but when a mysterious stranger arrives and starts asking questions, Katie's dark past threatens to reclaim her.

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Critics Consensus

Schmaltzy, predictable, and melodramatic, Safe Haven also suffers from a ludicrous plot twist, making for a particularly ignominious Nicholas Sparks adaptation.

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Yash B

"Safe Haven" is a strange movie because I feel like it is a mashup of two completely different movies. One-half of it is a schmaltzy and cheesy romance movie that just gets kind of boring because it feels a bit flat and predictable. On the other hand, there is a mystery thriller element that sets it apart and despite being silly at times, is genuinely kind of fun. I don't think it is fun enough to make me recommend this movie, but it keeps it from being completely terrible. The movie takes some ludicrous turns but I can see how someone might see it as a guilty pleasure. Overall, it is definitely not a good movie, but there are some qualities worth noting, for that, I won't say it is the very worst Nicholas Sparks movie, but it is still near the bottom of my current rankings because I was not invested in the romance much at all.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Daniel G

Conventional love story with a touch of domestic violence. There was a twist at the end which ultimately detracted from the plot and blemished the final moments, though it was supposed to be uplifting. Not one of Lasse Halström's best work.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/24

Full Review

babarizam

quality , acting and story is terrible.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/31/24

Full Review

Jon W

Not the best Nicholas sparks film here, it is insane at certain spots, mainly when we find out that the Woman who was believed to be the neighbor is really the ghost of the man's wife here who has been protecting him and seemingly waiting for a woman for him to meet that she agrees on. the lead actors are not a good match, not worth the money to watch it in a theater. sappy, and boring at times. instead of seeing this movie you would be better off re watching the Notebook. maybe they should stop trying to make Sparks books into movies. the book is far more entertaining than this movie, that so desperately wants to be something it is not.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

C C

Simply terrible. Wooden acting, predictable plot, obvious directing - watch if you enjoy lame film-making

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/23

Full Review

Tara P

It was cute and was okay but not a blockbuster by any means

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/02/23

Full Review

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Lasse Hallström

Director

Josh Duhamel

Alex Wheatley

Julianne Hough

Katie Feldman

Cobie Smulders

Jo

David Lyons

Kevin Tierney

Noah Lomax

Josh

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

How long can writer Nicholas Sparks trade off his iconic blub-fest The Notebook?

Rated: 2/5

Sep 5, 2017

Full Review

Wesley Morris

Grantland

A movie whose punch line is so delightfully absurd that even after you pretty much know what's coming you spit out your Pepsi anyway.

Jan 3, 2014

Full Review

Drew Hunt

Chicago Reader

Keeping up with the movie's inane plot twists makes for a capricious good time, but an unimaginative denouement turns the whole thing into a fool's errand.

Mar 7, 2013

Full Review

James Croot

Stuff.co.nz

However, despite some added bite to Sparks' traditional mix of beachside frolics and attracting opposites, there's just a sense of déjà vu about the whole enterprise...

Rated: 2/5

Apr 18, 2023

Full Review

Kip Mooney

College Movie Review

Still has all the eye-rolling trademarks of a Nicholas Sparks production.

Rated: C+

Sep 18, 2021

Full Review

Jade Budowski

Decider

Josh Duhamel is smokin' hot, the love story is sweet, and it's all undeniably watchable.

Mar 8, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Katie Feldman (Julianne Hough) moves to a small town on the North Carolina coast, determined to make a new life for herself. She takes a job as a waitress and keeps a low profile, but she is soon won over by the warmth and caring of the close-knit community, especially that of widower Alex (Josh Duhamel). With the help of Alex and his children, Katie learns to love and trust again -- but when a mysterious stranger arrives and starts asking questions, Katie's dark past threatens to reclaim her.

Director: Lasse Hallström
Executive Producer: Tucker Tooley, Ron Burkle, Jason Colbeck, Robbie Brenner, Shannon Gaulding, Tracey Nyberg
Screenwriter: Dana Stevens, Gage Lansky
Distributor: Relativity Media
Production Co: Nicholas Sparks Productions, Relativity Media, Temple Hill
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Sexuality|Threatening Behavior|Violence)
Genre: Romance, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 14, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 6, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $71.3M
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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