We recommend our top five picks to watch after you’ve binged through the filmography of Nicholas Sparks.
It’s that time of year again. Love is in the air and romance films are trending on Netflix. Of the catalogue available, no writer has as many choices under their belt than Nicholas Sparks. Leading up to Valentine’s Day we did our Sparks are in the Air series looking back at every Nicholas Sparks film. From Message in a Bottle to The Choice, Sparks has made a name for himself; but there are a lot of films that you’d be surprised weren’t actually written by the master of romance.
For this special list of movie recommendations, I’ve looked at the films that feel most like a product of Nicholas Sparks. Whether it’s through their style, atmosphere, attractive cast or story elements, they imbue the same vibe as these romantic dramas. These films aren’t cinematic masterpieces by any means, but they certainly quench the craving that any Nicholas Sparks story might leave you with after hours of tear-jerking romance.
THE VOW (2012)
First up is a film that has the standard makings of a Sparks story. It follows the story of newlyweds after a car accident who have to fall in love again after the wife wakes up with severe memory loss. It has multiple traumatic elements, the theme of rediscovering love and brings back two Sparks alumni in McAdams (The Notebook) and Tatum (Dear John). If you enjoy Spark’s stories, characters, tone, themes or atmosphere then you might like The Vow.
PS I LOVE YOU (2007)
The oldest film on this list, it uses similar elements of many of Sparks’ romances. It follows the story of a grieving widow who learns to love again when she is sent on a journey by her late husband through letters he left behind. It may not have any previous Sparks actors, but it still checks off many of the boxes: lost loved, attractive people, trauma and even supernatural elements reminiscent of Safe Haven. If you enjoy Spark’s stories, characters, tone, themes or atmosphere then you might like PS I Love You.
LETTERS TO JULIET (2010)
Another beautifully-set romance, albeit one that goes overseas unlike Sparks’ western-set stories. It follows the story of a young woman who travels to Verona, the city of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and helps an older woman find her lost soulmate after she writes into a column seeking advice about love. It has the traumatic car accident, lost love, idyllic setting and Sparks alum Amanda Seyfried (Dear John). If you enjoy Spark’s stories, characters, tone, themes or atmosphere then you might like Letters to Juliet.
REMEMBER ME (2010)
This romantic drama brings more of the sad heartbroken Sparks than the tear-jerking heartfelt one. It follows the story of a man with a tragic past who stumbles into love after connecting with a woman who understands him more than he thought possible. It brings the attractive cast, multiple shocking traumatic moments, and the themes of not only discovering love, but loving yourself. If you enjoy Spark’s stories, characters, tone, themes or atmosphere then you might like Remember Me.
DEFINITELY, MAYBE (2008)
The last film may not be set in an idyllic beachside town, but it hits all the other marks of a Sparks story. It follows the story of a political consultant who decides to tell his daughter the story of how he met her mother in the midst of their divorce. The attractive ensemble, heartfelt story, lost love themes and genre cliches scream romantic drama. However, unlike a Sparks film, this one manages to have a more uplifting ending. If you enjoy Spark’s stories, characters, tone, themes or atmosphere then you might like Definitely, Maybe.
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