On April 20, 2012, a new romance movie, The Lucky One, was released and has been stealing the hearts of people all over the country. This movie is based on one of Nicholas Sparks’ many romance stories. Although The Lucky One is overall entertaining, it does not beat Sparks’ beloved story, The Notebook.

Zac Efron plays Logan, a U.S. marine who had three tours of duty in the Iraqi War. While on duty, Logan spots a picture of a beautiful young woman and picks it up. Because he had gone to look at the picture, he was saved from an explosion that took place right where he had been standing. Ultimately, it seems as though this picture is his good luck charm and the reason that his life was saved. When returning to his sister’s home after his tour was finished, he begins to search for the woman in the picture, who saved his life. After much investigating, Logan finds the woman in a small town called Hamden.  Taylor Schilling plays Beth, the woman in Logan’s picture. Beth lives with her son and her grandmother, where they own and run a dog kennel. When Logan begins working at the dog kennel, he and Beth slowly begin to fall for each other. Although they are faced with many difficulties in their relationship (like Beth’s insane ex-husband), they manage to get through them and stay together.

Efron and Schilling were great choices for Logan and Beth. Their romance was passionate, inspiring, and at times seemed real. In addition to the romance, this story will also touch your heart by showing the hardships members of the military are forced to face. The Lucky One is not only about a flourishing romance, but also about dealing with the aftermath of being in the military.

Although The Lucky One is a heartwarming story, it was very predictable and offers no surprises. Each scene is expected and very similar to many of Sparks’ other stories.