The Channing Tatum Romance Movie Killing It On Netflix
2012 was a banner year for Channing Tatum. With starring roles in "21 Jump Street," "Magic Mike," and "The Vow," Tatum proved he could be a comedy lead, an indie darling, and a romance heartthrob all at once. Of the three films, "The Vow" was the most critically maligned. In one particularly scathing review for Entertainment Weekly, Liza Schwarzbaum described the movie as "the kind of typically gooey, sub-Nicholas Sparksy romance that rolls into movie theaters each year around Valentine's Day, only to be hustled off the screen and forgotten as soon as February 14 has safely passed."
Thanks to the magic of streaming services, "The Vow" hasn't shuffled off this mortal coil quite yet. With Valentine's Day on the horizon, "The Vow" is enjoying a resurgence on Netflix, where it snuck into the streamer's top 10 movies. Between January 29 and February 4, the romantic drama was viewed 3.8 million times, making it the seventh most-watched movie of that week.
"The Vow" stars Tatum and Rachel McAdams as newlyweds Leo and Paige Collins. When a car crash leaves Paige in a coma, she awakens with no memory of the last few years, including her sweet himbo husband. As a result, she thinks she still lives with her estranged parents, played by Sam Neill and Jessica Lange, and that she is still engaged to her ex, Jeremy (Scott Speedman). What follows is a tear-jerking story of a woman being courted by her husband, who may as well be a complete stranger.
The Vow had a different real-life ending
Netflix has a knack for rescuing bygone movies and television series from the brink of obscurity. Just look at "Suits," which became the most-streamed show of 2023 thanks to its newfound availability on the streamer. "The Vow" is a well-timed tie-in to Valentine's Day, a holiday that can give the schlockiest of movies their time in the sun. It helps that Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum still exude the same star power that they did in 2012.
The story behind "The Vow" hasn't aged quite as well. The movie is loosely based on the true story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter. Two months after their wedding in 1993, the couple got into a car accident, where Krickitt suffered brain trauma and memory loss. Kim courted his wife all over again, and in 1996, the couple remarried, later having two children. After "The Vow" was released, the couple co-authored a book detailing their experience.
In 2018, it was reported that the Carpenters were separating after 25 years of marriage because of Kim's infidelity. "It was shocking and surprising to me because we were so committed to each other and to the vow," Krickitt told Inside Edition.
Even after the public breakup, Krickitt said she was still an optimist when it came to love. Luckily, her love story was immortalized on film.