The Vow

• Genre: Drama
• Director: Michael Sucsy
• Stars: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill
• Rate: ***

A serious question: If you awoke in a hospital bed with no memory of how you got there – or your life for the last several years – and were told that you were married to Channing Tatum, would you freak out? Or would you just high-five the nurse?

The reaction of Paige (Rachel McAdams) when faced with that decision in The Vow is not so celebratory, unfortunately.

The last thing she remembers is being an uptight, blueberry mojito-drinking yuppie-in-training on her way to a law degree, so it’s reasonable that she’d be a bit thrown by her new fashionably bohemian life in an impeccably shabby downtown loft with dopey but dependable musician husband Leo (Tatum).

Still, Rachel. Gift horses and all.

Unfortunately, the movie takes its time getting anywhere, meandering for long stretches in the awkwardness of Paige trying to readjust to a life she doesn’t remember before retreating back to the comforting familiarity of her wealthy but previously estranged family.

Points to director Michael Sucsy for resisting temptations to veer into bigger, more Hollywood romantic territory, as he instead keeps close to the reality of such an unfortunate situation.

But still, you can only watch two people look frustrated for so long, no matter how beautiful they are.