There’s no use in denying it. I could tell you that I was dragged to it against my own free will. Or I could tell you that I had somehow acquired free tickets to the thing. Or I could even tell you that I had to see it for a school project. But all these quite plausible excuses would just be lies. So, yes, I admit it I went to see Michael Sucsy’s The Vow, the new movie about a woman (Rachel McAdams) who loses her memory after a car accident and her husband (Channing Tatum) who tries to win back her love once again . And, yes, I went to see Michael Sucsy’s The Vow on opening day.

Wow (no, not vow), I actually feel better getting that off my chest, and now that I have, I can relay to you how I felt upon leaving the theater. Well, thankfully, The Vow was much better than I was expecting, which might not be saying a lot because I was really expecting this movie to be just awful. I mean come on, Channing Tatum is sometimes painful to watch. (What?! Yes, I said it, and so close to Valentine’s Day too!) But not only is Channing Tatum bearable but he, as well as this movie, are also rather likable.

I mean, what’s not to like? Tatum was articulate (an anomaly for sure), Rachel McAdams was as charismatic as always, and the duo had enough chemistry to pull this movie along. Sam Neill and Jessica Lange, who played McAdams’ parents also didn’t hurt, even giving the movie some street cred, even if Sam Neill wasn’t followed into the set by a giant velociraptor (uh, Jurassic Park anyone?).

In terms of plot, sure, it’s quite predictable– dialogue included– but, honestly, if you are going into this movie expecting surprises, then dare I say, you deserve to be disappointed. No, this plot delivers just what you expected going into this movie, and to its benefit. No one likes surprises in a romance, because those surprises often mean death by cancer (uh, any Nicolas Sparks novel-turned-movie, anyone?).

So, even though I saw The Vow on my own volition, I am not (too) embarrassed to say it, mainly because it wasn’t a terrible movie. It definitely was not a good movie, but a likable one for sure.

RENT IT.