The Vow is a 2012 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Sucsy and written by Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein, and Jason Katims, inspired by the true story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter. The film stars Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum as Paige and Leo Collins, with Sam Neill, Scott Speedman, Jessica Lange and Jessica McNamee in supporting roles. As of 2013, The Vow was the eighth highest-grossing romantic drama film produced since 1980. This was Spyglass Entertainment s last film before the company s closure in 2012, and its revival in 2019.

Plot

Paige Collins (Rachel McAdams) and her husband Leo (Channing Tatum) come out of a movie theater. On their way home, at a stop sign, Paige unbuckles her seatbelt to lean over and kiss Leo. At that very moment, a truck rams their car from behind and Paige crashes through the windshield. Both of them are rushed to the emergency room, and as Leo, in a voice-over, talks about how moments of impact help in finding who we are the movie cuts to how Paige and Leo first met. The scenes of how they courted, became engaged and married at the Art Institute of Chicago and share a kiss under the Cloud Gate are interwoven with the present.

Paige is put into an induced coma and when she regains consciousness, she thinks Leo is her doctor, having lost all memories of the past few years. When her wealthy parents, Bill and Rita Thornton, learn about this, they visit her. This is the first time that Leo meets them, and they do not appreciate Leo taking their daughter, and not being informed. Paige does not understand why he would not have met her parents, after having been married to her. She finds it even stranger that he did not know why either. Nor did she understand why she left law school, broke her engagement with her previous fiancé, Jeremy, and why she has not been in touch with her family and friends. Her parents insist on taking her home with them and Paige agrees, thinking she might have married Leo for some mutual benefit. She seeks evidence of the marriage. Just as she is about to leave, Leo comes running to play her a voice message in which she sounds very happy and romantic. Paige decides to go back with Leo, hoping it will help her regain her lost memory. Paige is welcomed home with a surprise party by her friends, but as she is not able to remember any of them, she finds it overwhelming and is extremely confused.

The next day Paige ventures out to her regular café, but does not remember having been there and loses her way back. She calls her mother because she does not know or remember Leo s number. That evening Leo and Paige are invited for dinner by her parents. At the dinner and in the bar later, Leo does not fit in with her family and friends. He persists in his attempts to help her regain her lost memory, but Paige is more driven to learn why she left law school and broke her engagement to Jeremy. During the course of one encounter with Jeremy, she kisses him. Her doctor advises her to fill the holes in her memory rather than be afraid of her past. With her sister Gwen s wedding approaching, Paige decides to stay with her parents until the wedding. Though Leo asks her out on a date and spends a night with her, the relationship is further strained when Paige s dad attempts to persuade Leo to divorce his daughter, and by Leo punching Jeremy for talking about chances to bed his wife.

Paige rejoins law school and Leo signs divorce papers. At a store, she meets her old friend Diane who, unaware of her amnesia, apologizes for having had a relationship with Paige s dad, thus alerting Paige as to why she had left her family. When she confronts her mother about this, Rita tells her that she decided to stay with Bill for all the things he had done right instead of leaving him for one wrong act. Paige then asks Leo why he never told her, and he replies he wanted to earn her love instead of driving her away from her parents. Paige, while in class, starts sketching; thus depicting why she first left law school. Despite her father s misgivings about quitting law school, she reassures him that she will always be his daughter no matter what. She continues her interest in art, eventually returning to sculpting and drawing. Though Jeremy confesses he broke up with his present girlfriend, hoping to be back with her, she turns him down stating she needs to know what life would be like without him.

As seasons change, Leo discusses his philosophy about Moments of impact . A moment of impact whose potential for change has ripple effects far beyond what we can predict. Sending some particles crashing together, making them closer than before. While sending others, spinning off into great adventures, landing where you never thought you d find them . Back in her room, Paige finds the menu card on which she had written her wedding vows and is deeply moved. The movie ends with Paige finding Leo at their regular Café Mnemonic and suggesting they go to their backup Cuban restaurant that she knew of because she had been asking her friend about the relationship. Leo then suggests to trying out a new place that they ve never been to, which Paige agrees to and film ends as they walk away from the scene.

Cast

• Rachel McAdams as Paige Collins
• Channing Tatum as Leo Collins
• Jessica Lange as Rita Thornton, Paige s Mother
• Sam Neill as Bill Thornton, Paige s Father
• Jessica McNamee as Gwen Thornton, Paige s Sister
• Wendy Crewson as Dr. Fishman
• Tatiana Maslany as Lily
• Lucas Bryant as Kyle
• Scott Speedman as Jeremy
• Joey Klein as Josh
• Joe Cobden as Jim
• Jeananne Goossen as Sonia
• Dillon Casey as Ryan
• Shannon Barnett as Carrie
• Lindsay Ames as Shana
• Kristina Pešić as Lizbet
• Britt Irvin as Lina
• Sarah Carter as Diane
• Rachel Skarsten as Rose

Production

Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum s casting was announced by Variety in June 2010. Filming took place from August until November 2010 in Toronto and Chicago.

Background

The Vow is loosely based on the actual relationship of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, who wrote a book about their marriage, also known as The Vow. Ten weeks after their wedding on September 18, 1993, the couple was involved in a serious car accident. Krickitt suffered a brain trauma, which erased all memories of her romance with Kim as well as their marriage. Kim was still deeply in love with his wife, although she viewed him as a stranger after the accident. In 2018, however, he admitted to having an affair and they divorced.

The film was developed as early as 1998, when Spyglass Entertainment was first set up. Stephen Herek was attached to direct at first.

Music

The Vow: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	February 7, 2012
Recorded	2011
Genre	Soundtrack
Label	Rhino Records

The soundtrack was released on February 7, 2012, through Rhino Records. The film score, written and composed by Rachel Portman and Michael Brook, was released digitally on a separate album on February 7, 2012, through Madison Gate Records.

Track listing

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Length
1.	I d Do Anything for Love (But I Won t Do That)	Meat Loaf	5:22
2.	Specks	Matt Pond PA	3:49
3.	Leaving on the 5th	Voxhaul Broadcast	3:41
4.	This Too Shall Pass	OK Go	3:08
5.	Get Some	Lykke Li	3:22
6.	Nothing Was Stolen (Love Me Foolishly)	Phosphorescent	4:49
7.	Come On, Come On (Dean & Britta Remix)	Scott Hardkiss feat. Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham	7:35
8.	Play My Way	Maya von Doll	3:21
9.	Problems of Our Own	Light FM	3:12
10.	Neon Blue	Still Life Still	3:20
11.	Pictures of You	The Cure	7:28

The digital version of the soundtrack also contains England by The National.

Release

Critical response

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 31% based on 134 reviews and an average rating of 4.95/10. The site s consensus reads, Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams do their best with what they re given, but The Vow is too shallow and familiar to satisfy the discriminating date-night filmgoer. On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating to reviews, the film received an average score of 43 out of 100 based on 28 critics, which indicates mixed or average reviews .

Emma Dibdin from Total Film gave the film a three stars rating out of five, commenting, there s an essential sweetness at work here, thanks partly to McAdams and partly to an unusually chaste love story that ultimately keeps melodrama at bay. Empire critic Helen O Hara gave the film a three stars rating out of five, also. She found McAdams excellent and Tatum surprisingly heartbreaking and concluded, The few weaknesses in the plot can be overlooked as The Vow makes for a wonderful – if a bit teary – romance that is brilliantly acted. The Washington Post s Stephanie Merry wrote, It s a shame things are so black and white, because the movie has more promise – and more laughs – than trailers suggest . She added Tatum, while a bit deficient in the dramatic acting department, delivers some memorable quips. He and McAdams also have chemistry.

Giving the film a 2.5 stars out of 4, Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times found it pleasant enough as a date movie, but that s all. USA Today wrote, It may appeal to the most rabid fans of tearjerk romances like The Notebook, but it s a hard-to-swallow, maudlin tale. Betsy Sharkey, film critic from the Los Angeles Times wrote, Despite the sweet story, this is a movie that leaves you wanting more. To care more, to cry more, to love more. ReelViews James Berardinelli was very negative about the film. He wrote, with its would-be crowd-pleasing contrivances and rote adherence to formula, offers almost no redeeming characteristics. This is for young women what Transformers is for young men. He concluded describing the film as a heartless, soulless product .

Box office

The Vow debuted at #1 in its opening weekend, with $15.4 million on opening day and $41.2 million over the weekend. On the Valentine s Day the film grossed $11.6 million, breaking Hitch s record $7.5 million for the highest-grossing mid-week Valentine s Day. It also earned around $9.7 million internationally that weekend.

On the weekend lasting from February 24–26, The Vow became the first film of 2012 in North America to cross the $100 million mark, and the third film to cross the $100 million mark worldwide behind Underworld: Awakening and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. The film grossed $125 million in North America and $71.1 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $196.1 million. It is the eighth highest-grossing romantic drama film since 1980. Documents from the Sony Pictures hack revealed the film turned a profit of $52 million.

Accolades

List of awards and nominations

Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
BMI Film & TV Awards	Film Music Award	Rachel Portman	Won
Golden Trailer Awards	Best Romance		Nominated
	Best Romance TV Spot	Forever	Won
MTV Movie Awards	Best Male Performance	Channing Tatum	Nominated
	Best Kiss	Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum	Nominated
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Drama		Nominated
	Choice Movie: Romance		Nominated
	Choice Movie Actor: Drama	Channing Tatum	Nominated
	Choice Movie Actress: Drama	Rachel McAdams	Nominated
People s Choice Awards	Favorite Dramatic Movie		Nominated
	Favorite Movie Actor	Channing Tatum (also for Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street)	Nominated
	Favorite Dramatic Movie Actor	Channing Tatum (also for Magic Mike)	Nominated
	Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress	Rachel McAdams	Nominated

Home media

The DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released on May 8, 2012.

Year	2012
ReleaseDate	2012-02-10
RuntimeMins	104
RuntimeStr	1h 44min
Plot	A car accident puts Paige in a coma, and when she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo works to win her heart again.
Awards	Awards, 3 wins & 14 nominations
Directors	Michael Sucsy
Writers	Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein, Jason Katims
Stars	Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill
Produced by	Gary Barber,Roger Birnbaum,Tom Colbert,Susan Cooper,J. Miles Dale,Jonathan Glickman,Austin Hearst,Cassidy Lange,Rebekah Rudd,Paul Taublieb
Music by	Michael Brook,Rachel Portman
Cinematography by	Rogier Stoffers
Film Editing by	Melissa Kent,Nancy Richardson
Casting By	Robin D. Cook,Cathy Sandrich Gelfond,Jackie Lind,Amanda Mackey
Production Design by	Kalina Ivanov
Art Direction by	Brandt Gordon
Set Decoration by	Jaro Dick
Costume Design by	Stacey Bradder,Valerie Halverson,Alex Kavanagh
Makeup Department	Pamela M. Athayde,Michal Bigger,Teresa Buccione,Amber Chase,Ashley Forshaw,Iantha Goldberg,Liz Gruszka,Vivian Guzman,Lisa Jelic,Patricia Medina,Jennifer Bower O Halloran,Vicki Vacca,Anthony Veilleux
Production Management	Judi Bell,Dennis Chapman,Scott Strauss,Ezra Swerdlow
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Jeff J.J. Authors,Senica Billingsley,Michael Bishop,Jack Boem,Philip Chipera,Divya D Souza,Adrian Diepold,Maddie Fordham,Jonathan Gajewski,Colleen Harding,Cassy Hungerson,Andrew Kent,Alexandra Laniel,Brad Medhurst,Brad Moerke,Maryka Sennema
Art Department	Paul V. Allen Sr.,Anthony Barracca,David Best,Rob Bonney,Cameron S. Brooke,Robert C. Brooke,Brenton Brown,Brian Cranstone,David DiCorpo,Tucker Doherty,Robert Gau,Paul Grimard,Chris Hanson,Kyle Holden,John Mackenzie,Rob McCallum,Brenda McClennin,Victor Chikko Quon,Vic Rigler,Dave Rosa,John Butch Rose,Corinna Schmitt-Porsia,Thomas Sedor,Damien Segee,Jamie Staples,Michael Tawton,Debra Toppel,Adrienne Trent,Brian van de Valk,Juan Vela,Jennifer Wood,Colin Woods,Claire Worthington
Sound Department	Bob Beher,Tim Chau,David Lee Fein,Stephanie Flack,David E. Fluhr,Glen Gauthier,Hilda Hodges,John Wheels Hurlbut,Nils C. Jensen,Jason Johnston,Doc Kane,Jason King,Travis MacKay,Nancy MacLeod,Milad Manzoori,Jason McFarling,Martin Mitchell,Alyson Dee Moore,Jordan O Neill,John Roesch,Damon Schwabach-Morris,Jason Stevens,Joseph Tsai,Gregory H. Watkins,Clayton Weber
Special Effects by	Warren Appleby,Tim Barraball,Darcy Davis,Terry Doyle,John MacGillivray,Fiona MacPherson,Don Parsons,Maurice Routly,Dieter Sturm,Yvonne Sturm
Visual Effects by	Akemi Abe,Keith Acheson,Dave Adams,Barbara Affonso,Jose Alcarde,Melissa Almeida,Kyle Andal,Mathieu Archambault,Daniel Ashton,Bill Houston Ball,Sarah Barber,Patrice-Alain Barrette,Michel Barrière,Mauricio Bastos,Jamie Baxter,Romain Bayle,Olivier Beaulieu,Barb Benoit,Michaël Bentitou,Dennis Berardi,Pierre Blain,Cédric Bonnaffoux,Xavier Bourque,S. Kai Bovaird,Andrew Brooks,John Cairns,Craig Calvert,Wilson Cameron,Irfan Celik,Joseph Cheng Chen,Patrick Clancey,James Cooper,Padraic Culham,John Davidson,Lucas De La Torre,Chris De Souza,Yoshi DeHerrera,Luc Desmarais,Eduarda Domenici,Anand Dorairaj,Mark Dornfeld,Andrew J. Farrell,Michele Ferrone,David Fix,Yaron Galula,Adam Gass,Greg Gibson,Fernando González García,Jason Gougeon,Glenn Guenette,R.J. Harbour,Trey Harrell,Oliver Hearsey,Erica Henderson,Jeff Heusser,Paul Hurwitz,Peter Jeffs,Shant Jordan,Jason Kozsurek,Paulina Kuszta,Eric Lacroix,Derick Loo,Philippe Majdalani,Ken McCuen,Jackie Mills,Kelly Noordermeer,Ines Osoro Perez-Puchal,Alex Pachón,Jonathan Paquin,Hojin Park,Mitch Paulson,Danila Pogalov,Florent Revel,Kammie Rivera,Garret Roosa,Milan Schere,Matt Schofield,Cory Shaw,Eddie Soria,Jim Su,Brendan Taylor,Celine Velasco,Paul Waggoner,Yoshiya Yamada,Wojciech Zielinski,Jose A. Alfonzo
Stunts	Alex Anagnostidis,Douglas Armstrong,Ron Bell,Chad Camilleri,Shelley Cook,Rick Forsayeth,John MacDonald,Rick Skene,Hugo Steele
Camera and Electrical Department	David Allan,Mongo Andrews,Max Armstrong,Tim Armstrong,Barrett Axford,Pierre Berube,Vincent Borg,Sean Bourdeau,Russel Bowie,Dawn Copeland,Jean Courteau,Alex Dawes,Jaime Dawkins,Byrd Dickens,Tara Dixit,Richard Emerson,Michael Fylyshtan,Bob Gomez,Kerry Hayes,Jamie Hodgson,Johnathan Holmes,Bill Hong,Mark Karavite,Mike Lubomski,Anthony Nocera,Dick Oakes,Danny Piva,Jonah Ravine,Charlie Rhomberg,Robert C. Shannon,Stephen Spurrell,Robert Stecko,Davidson Tate,Richard Teodorczyk,Paul Thompson,Timothy Troy,Robert Vigus,Paul Vilchur,Mark N. Woods
Animation Department	Hanung Lee
Casting Department	Sara Brown,Kate Caldwell,Jandiz Estrada,Alicia Faucher,Jonathan Kinnas,Jessica Gisin Needham,Jonathan Oliveira,Akiko Shibata,Ilona Smyth,Jane Spencer
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Ciara Brennan,Nancy Da Silva,Renee Fontana,Gerri Gillan,Roslyn Hanchard,Leslie Kavanagh,Karen Lee,Stephanie Lees,Susan Nycz
Editorial Department	Romy Barber,Chris Blacklock,Erik Haas,Kacie Kane,Sue Len Quon,Harry Muller,Jim Passon,Mitch Paulson,Trudy Yee
Location Management	Stuart Berberich,Jared Burton,Dan Chin,Raul Esparza III,Darren Scott Greene,Rick Jang,Nancy Larman,Mark Moore,Pete Nilson,Joshua Ramos,Maria C. Roxas,Heather Sharpe
Music Department	David Arch,Spring Aspers,Jeff Atmajian,Reid Carolin,Craig Conard,Chris Cozens,James Curd,Stephanie Diaz-Matos,Bob Garrett,Scott Hardkiss,Anna Lascurain,Jeremy Murphy,Randall Poster,Youki Yamamoto,Rachel Bolt,Chris Clad,Chris Dibble
Script and Continuity Department	Angela Mastronardi
Transportation Department	Gord Bettles,Bill Boyd,Michael R. Cairo,Shannon Edwards,Dana Howes,Wayne Ireland,Dave Kinnear,John Lux Jr.,David Morales,Joe S. Norris,Robert Wallace
Additional Crew	Gerry Alfonso,Nancy Banks,Desmond Barnes,Jessica Beiler,Jane Conway,Epluribus Cunningham,Paul J. Duckworth,Matt Dunbar,Elise Edson,Ian Gibson,Ann Green,Marie-Claude Harnois,Nicole Iizuka,Lieve Jansen,Andre King,Ashley Kravitz,Ross L. Kulma,Tiffany Magby,Pamela Mars,Louise Muskala,Penelope Zarah Nederlander,Steven Hugh Nelson,Margaret J. Orlando,Daniel Rbibo,Benjamin R. Reder,Michael Riley,Michele Robertson,Clare Sackler,Dave Sauro,Lisa Shamata,Natasha Shumny,Mark Soraparu,Victor H. Soto,Nan Sovey,Adrienne Swan,Emma Tamblyn,Candace Tempelmeyer,Justin Thaler,Deborah Harpur,Jeffery Liberman
Genres	Drama, Romance
Companies	Screen Gems, Spyglass Entertainment
Countries	USA, Australia, France, Canada, Germany, Brazil, UK
Languages	English
ContentRating	PG-13
ImDbRating	6.8
ImDbRatingVotes	194122
MetacriticRating	43
Keywords	trauma,divorced couple,divorce,swimming in underwear,adulterer