By Jarett Wieselman
9:45 AM PST, February 8, 2013
Since 1998, Nicholas Sparks has been cinema's go-to-guy for big screen weepies thanks to a fairly formulaic series of emotional events. Now, Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough are the latest pretty faces to front a Sparks movie, and Safe Haven's accompanying poster proves it's not just the movies that follow a carefully thought-out template.
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Pre-Packaged Posters?
Since 1998, Nicholas Sparks has been cinema's go-to-guy for big screen weepies thanks to a fairly formulaic series of emotional events. Now, Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough are the latest pretty faces to front a Sparks movie, and Safe Haven's accompanying poster proves it's not just the movies that follow a carefully thought-out template.
'Message In A Bottle'
Many Sparks signatures -- beach-setting, lovers embrace, a picturesque sky -- were established with Kevin Costner and Robin Wright's 1999 vehicle.
'A Walk To Remember'
Mandy Moore and Shane West got close in the poster for this 2002 adaptation and so did the camera, introducing the extreme close-up into Sparks' poster repertoire.
'The Notebook'
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams' 2004 entry is not only the best Sparks movie to date, but also boasts every element that comprise the perfect Sparks poster: a beach setting, a couple embracing, sunlight streaming through, hint of muscles and a near kiss.
'Nights In Rodanthe'
Seeing Diane Lane's sun-kissed face in this extreme close-up as she prepares to kiss Richard Gere calls to mind an over-40 version of A Walk To Remember.
'Dear John'
By the time Channing Tatum and a sun-drenched Amanda Seyfried romantically reclined on a beach in the poster for this 2010 hit, the 'Sparks Signature' was in full effect.
'The Last Song'
Miley Cyrus broke from tradition and introduced a new element: floating heads. Perhaps that's why her 2010 entry flopped.
'The Lucky One'
Zac Efron's contribution to the canon features sunlight streaming through a near kiss, as he embraces co-star Taylor Schilling and bares a bit of muscle. Notably missing however is Sparks' usual beach setting. Although that didn't stop Zac from losing his shirt!
'Safe Haven'
A kiss caught in progress, a sun-drenched beach, drawing the eye to Duhamel's perfect pecs as Hough presses up against her man ... even if the poster didn't read, "From the Author of The Notebook," it would still scream Nicholas Sparks!