If you're like me, you saw the previews for the movie "The Vow" and were really interested in seeing it. I mean, these days, who can't get excited about a movie that features a couple who honored their wedding vows despite the wife's amnesia from a serious head trauma? So I requested the book, "The Vow: The True Events that Inspired the Movie" and put the movie in my Netflix queue. The book arrived first, and I read it in about two sittings. This powerful retelling is written from the husband's perspective and is a must read for anyone who is married and/or believes in the God-ordained institution of marriage to be a life-long commitment. Their entire story is centered around their faith in Jesus Christ. Most excellent.
The movie arrived a few days later, and was most disappointing. At most, it could be considered "inspired by" the Carpenters' story. Faith in Christ isn't mentioned once. The wife seems to recover (physically) from the accident almost instantly. There are odd story lines, like the wife hadn't talked to her family in five years before the accident, that aren't in the book at all. In the book, the wife's personality changed quite a bit, making it very challenging for the husband to love her. In the movie, the wife's personality seemed the same before and after the accident. In the movie, there was a lot of friction between the husband and the wife's parents, a conflict that doesn't reflect the real life events at all. I could give many more examples, but you get the point.
The movie would have had such deeper meaning and greater impact if they would have stayed true to the real life events of the Carpenters. I really encourage you to read the book. It's a quick, easy read that will leave you encouraged in your marriage.
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