Forever My Girl

Last updated
Forever My Girl
ForeverMyGirlposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf
Screenplay byBethany Ashton Wolf
Based onForever My Girl
by Heidi McLaughlin
Produced by
  • Mickey Liddell
  • Jennifer Monroe
  • Pete Shilaimon
Starring
CinematographyDuane Manwiller
Edited by Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
Music byBrett Boyett
Production
company
Distributed by Roadside Attractions
Release date
  • January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19)(United States)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.5 million [1]
Box office$16.4 million [1]

Forever My Girl is a 2018 American romantic drama film written and directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf based on the novel by Heidi McLaughlin. It follows a country musician (Alex Roe) who sets out to win over the girl he left at the altar eight years before (Jessica Rothe). Abby Ryder Fortson, Travis Tritt, and John Benjamin Hickey also star.

Contents

The film was released in the United States on January 19, 2018. [2] [3] [4] It received negative reviews from critics, who denounced the writing and chemistry between the actors, and compared it negatively to Nicholas Sparks films. [5] The film was a modest box office success, grossing $16 million on a $3.5 million budget.

Plot

In St. Augustine, Louisiana, Josie is left at the altar by her fiancé Liam to pursue fame and fortune. Eight years later, he is a successful country singer.

The morning after a concert in New Orleans, Liam wakes up to discover the girl he brought home jumping excitedly on and breaking his cell phone. Panicked after realizing, he takes the phone to an electronics store where the manager fixes it for him. Afterwards, he's asked why he still has the damaged phone, and Liam tells him it has a very important message on it.

While watching TV, Liam learns that Mason, his childhood best friend, has been killed in a car accident. He returns to St. Augustine to attend the funeral. Although Liam attempts to be discreet, Josie bumps into him. After the burial, she punches him in the gut.

Liam stays with his father, Pastor Brian, although he's bitter that Liam also cut off contact with him. While reacquainting himself with the town, he encounters Josie at her flower shop. Liam learns that she has a seven-year-old daughter, Billy, and that he is the father. Josie confesses that she found out she was pregnant two weeks after he left her at the altar. Although she tried to contact him, Liam never returned her call, so she decided to raise Billy alone.

Liam is surprised to learn that his father also tried to tell him that Josie was pregnant at one of his concerts seven years ago. However, he was too absorbed in his fame and didn't listen to him. Liam eventually persuades Josie to let him spend time with Billy, albeit on her terms. Billy quickly realizes Liam is her father, much to Josie's surprise, and agrees to get to know each other.

Liam and Billy bond as she displays musical ability. Josie agrees to let her stay the night with him. As Liam tucks her in, Billy asks him why he left her mom. He admits he was young and confused, and regrets it, which both Josie and Brian overhear.

After Billy falls asleep, Josie asks Liam out saying she wants to have a date with "the Liam Page" as she'd never experienced his fame with him. He flies her to New Orleans for their date, and when they are briefly questioned by the press as to who Josie is, he answers "She's the one".

After returning to St. Augustine, Liam and Billy continue to bond. She chokes on her lunch but he doesn't realise, then freezes after having a flashback to his mother's death. Jake, Josie's brother, saves Billy. Distraught that he was unaware, Liam gets drunk at a bar. Jake finds him to say Josie and Billy would be better off without him.

While bandaging a wound Liam sustained that evening, Brian reveals that when Liam's mother died, he was so absorbed in his own grief that he overlooked his son's, so apologizes to him for it. Brian theorizes that he became famous and cut contact with him as his way of dealing with the grief over his mother's death, to which Liam agrees.

Liam goes the next morning without saying goodbye to Josie and Billy, leaving a note telling Brian that they are better off without him. Returning to his tour, he performs in London. However, his manager Sam inspires him to return to his family.

At the airport, Liam responds to the message on the answering machine that Josie left for him 8 years earlier, in which she explains her feeling that losing his mother caused him to fear losing her, so he left. He returns to St. Augustine to reconcile with Josie.

Liam and Josie get married, and he plays a song with Billy both at her school talent show and on his tour in Berlin.

Cast

Production

Development

Author Heidi McLaughlin was inspired to write Forever My Girl after seeing a picture of a man on Facebook who looked like he was trying to apologize to a girl. To choose the name of Liam Page it took her a total of 10 or 15 minutes, and that same night she wrote the first 5,000 words. [6] After her book was published, she received an offer from LD Entertainment for a film based on the book. [6] On adapting the book for film, Roe said, "It was difficult to accommodate everything in an hour and a half obviously and there were also other changes that Bethany [Wolf] thought were important." [7]

Casting

McLaughlin said that writing for Liam and Josie was easy because she has friends who are in bands. [6] For the role of Liam, Roe had to learn to sing and play the guitar. Brett Boyett, the film's musical supervisor, helped him practice every day for almost three months. To research his accent Roe watched interviews of country music singers. [8] [9] He was nervous about acting on stage and talked to country group Little Big Town about performing in front of 50,000 people. Roe formed a band in Los Angeles and held several performances for close friends to practice. [8] McLaughlin positively compared Roe to actor Stephen Amell, stating that, "Alex Roe looks like Amell but younger, so for me it's a perfect choice." [6] Rothe said she was attracted to the role of Josie for her strength and female empowerment. [10] McLaughlin originally pictured the Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr for the role, and remarked that Rothe resembled a blonde version of Kerr. [6] Rothe and Roe did not know each other beforehand but had several friends in common, and hung out several times before filming in Atlanta to feel comfortable around each other. [10]

Reception

Box office

Forever My Girl opened on January 19, 2018, and grossed $4.7 million from 1,115 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing 10th. [11] It held well in its second weekend, dropping just 12% to $3.7 million. [12] The film went on to make a total of $16.4 million, against a production budget of $3.5 million. [1]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 24% of 54 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "Forever My Girl offers a suitably picturesque placeholder for romance fans between Nicholas Sparks films, but other viewers may end up crying for the wrong reasons." [13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 36 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. [11]

Joe Leydon of Variety said the film "resembles nothing so much as a prosaic adaptation of a second-tier Nicholas Sparks novel, and doubtless will play best with audiences who think critics are much too harsh on movies that really are spawned by Sparks' literary output." [15] Brad Wheeler of The Globe and Mail gave it 1.5/4 stars, calling it "sentimental dreck of the fluffiest order." [16] The Detroit News's Adam Graham gave it a C grade, saying it was "barely a step above a Lifetime movie" and "pandering in its portrayal of good, hard-working, church-going country folk and dismissive of big city types, what with their fancy salad orders and all." [17] Alonso Durande of TheWrap unfavorably compared the film to Hallmark Channel movies, "which would have at least given the female lead something of a personality and a plot arc; this movie's all about the celebrity and his emotional journey, while the woman stands around like a prize waiting to be won, the Blessed Hometown Honey." [18]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The two leads are both highly appealing, with Roe credible as a country music superstar whose repertoire includes such original songs as 'Don't Water Down My Whiskey' and Rothe delivering a warm portrayal that's miles away from her recent starring role in the horror film Happy Death Day ." [19] Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service called the film "an uncomplicated romantic tale of a man trying to do right by the women in his life may even be pure fantasy. But for an audience, seeking fluffy, escapist, country music-tinged romance, it'll hit a sweet spot." [20]

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 24, 2018.

Related Research Articles

<i>Fatal Attraction</i> 1987 film by Adrian Lyne

Fatal Attraction is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film Diversion. Starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, the film follows Dan Gallagher (Douglas), an attorney who cheats on his wife Beth (Archer) with editor Alex Forrest (Close) following a chance encounter at a work function. When Dan decides to end the affair, Alex grows increasingly unstable and begins stalking him and his family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josie Maran</span> American model, actress, and entrepreneur (born 1978)

Johanna Selhorst "Josie" Maran is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur.

<i>Billy Jack</i> 1971 film directed by Tom Laughlin

Billy Jack is a 1971 American action drama independent film, the second of four films centering on a character of the same name which began with the movie The Born Losers (1967), played by Tom Laughlin, who directed and co-wrote the script. Filming began in Prescott, Arizona, in the fall of 1969, but the movie was not completed until 1971. American International Pictures pulled out, halting filming. 20th Century Fox came forward and filming eventually resumed but when that studio refused to distribute the film, Warner Bros. stepped forward.

<i>Josie and the Pussycats</i> (comics) Teen-oriented comic book

Josie and the Pussycats is a teen-humor comic book about a fictional rock band, created by Dan DeCarlo and published by Archie Comics. It was published from 1963 until 1982; since then, one-shot issues have appeared on an irregular basis. A second series, set in the New Riverdale universe, launched in September 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Laughlin</span> American actor (1931–2013)

Thomas Robert Laughlin Jr. was an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, educator, and activist.

<i>Never Been Kissed</i> 1999 film by Raja Gosnell

Never Been Kissed is a 1999 American romantic comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell, and starring Drew Barrymore, Jessica Alba, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Leelee Sobieski, Jeremy Jordan, Molly Shannon, Garry Marshall and John C. Reilly.

<i>Valley Girl</i> (1983 film) 1983 film by Martha Coolidge

Valley Girl is a 1983 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge and written and produced by Wayne Crawford and Andrew Lane. Loosely based on the tragedy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the film centers on the romance between a valley girl and a city punk. Michelle Meyrink, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye and Michael Bowen appear in supporting roles. Valley Girl was released in the United States on April 29, 1983, to critical and commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josie Cotton</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1956)

Josie Cotton is an American singer and songwriter, best known for "Johnny Are You Queer?" and "He Could Be the One" from 1982. "Johnny Are You Queer?" was used on the soundtracks to Jackass Number Two and Valley Girl. "He Could Be the One" was also used in Valley Girl.

<i>Taken</i> (film) 2008 film by Pierre Morel

Taken is a 2008 French action-thriller film directed by Pierre Morel and written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Katie Cassidy, Holly Valance and Famke Janssen. In the film, Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA officer, sets to track down his teenage daughter Kim and her best friend Amanda after they are kidnapped by Albanian human trafficking terrorists while travelling in France during a vacation.

Alexander Michael Roe-Brown is a British actor. He is best known for playing Jay Keaton in the series The Fugitives, Elliott Baden in The Cut and Benjamin Pownall in Siren. He has also played major roles in a number of films, including Hot Summer Nights, Rings and Forever My Girl.

<i>Hot Summer Nights</i> (film) 2017 American drama film by Elijah Bynum

Hot Summer Nights is a 2017 American neo-noir coming-of-age crime drama film written and directed by Elijah Bynum, in his directorial debut. It stars Timothée Chalamet, Maika Monroe, Alex Roe, Maia Mitchell, William Fichtner, Thomas Jane, and Emory Cohen. Set on Cape Cod in the summer of 1991, the plot follows Daniel Middleton, a teenage boy who becomes entangled in the drug trade.

<i>The Commuter</i> (film) 2018 film by Jaume Collet-Serra

The Commuter is a 2018 action thriller film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Byron Willinger, Philip de Blasi and Ryan Engle. The film stars Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, Florence Pugh, and Sam Neill. It follows a man who is unwittingly recruited into a murder conspiracy after meeting a mysterious woman while on his daily train commute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Letitia Wright</span> Guyanese actress (born 1993)

Letitia Michelle Wright is a Guyanese-British actress. She began her career with guest roles in the television series Top Boy, Coming Up, Chasing Shadows, Humans, Doctor Who, and Black Mirror. For the latter, she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She then had her breakthrough for her role in the 2015 film Urban Hymn, for which the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) named Wright among the 2015 group of BAFTA Breakthrough Brits.

<i>Happy Death Day</i> 2017 American slasher film

Happy Death Day is a 2017 American black comedy slasher film directed by Christopher Landon and written by Scott Lobdell. It stars Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard. The film follows college student Tree Gelbman, who is murdered on the night of her birthday but begins reliving the day repeatedly, at which point she sets out to find the killer and stop her death. Jason Blum serves as a producer through his Blumhouse Productions company.

<i>Mary Queen of Scots</i> (2018 film) 2018 film by Josie Rourke

Mary Queen of Scots is a 2018 historical drama film directed by Josie Rourke and with a screenplay by Beau Willimon based on John Guy's 2004 biography Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as Mary, Queen of Scots, and Margot Robbie as her paternal first cousin once removed Queen Elizabeth I. Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, David Tennant, and Guy Pearce also star in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Rothe</span> American actress (born 1987)

Jessica Ann Rothenberg, known professionally as Jessica Rothe, is an American actress. After appearing in independent films and on stage, her breakthrough came with playing Tree Gelbman in the comedy slasher film Happy Death Day (2017) and its 2019 sequel, which established her as a scream queen.

<i>Josie</i> (film) 2018 American thriller drama film

Josie is a 2018 American thriller drama film directed by Eric England and written by Anthony Ragnone II. The film stars Sophie Turner as the titular character, a mysterious high school student who transfers to the Southern town of Baymont, where she draws the attention of local recluse Hank. The film also stars Jack Kilmer, Micah Fitzgerald, Lombardo Boyar, Daeg Faerch, Robin Bartlett, and Kurt Fuller. Josie premiered at Mammoth Film Festival on February 8, 2018, and was released in the United States by Screen Media Films on March 16, 2018.

<i>Happy Death Day 2U</i> 2019 American science fiction horror film

Happy Death Day 2U is a 2019 American science fiction black comedy slasher film written and directed by Christopher Landon. A sequel to Happy Death Day (2017), it stars Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Suraj Sharma, and Steve Zissis. The film again follows Tree Gelbman (Rothe), now trapped in the same time loop of a different iteration of her world. Jason Blum again serves as a producer through his Blumhouse Productions company.

<i>Legacies</i> (TV series) 2018 American supernatural drama television series

Legacies is an American fantasy drama television series, created by Julie Plec, that aired from October 25, 2018, to June 16, 2022, on The CW. A spinoff of The Originals, it is part of The Vampire Diaries Universe, and features characters from both The Originals and its predecessor, The Vampire Diaries. Danielle Rose Russell stars as the 17-year-old Hope Mikaelson, continuing the role she originated in the fifth and final season of The Originals. Matt Davis also features prominently in the series, reprising his role as Alaric Saltzman from The Vampire Diaries. In May 2022, it was announced that the fourth season would be its final season.

<i>Valley Girl</i> (2020 film) 2020 film by Rachel Lee Goldenberg

Valley Girl is a 2020 American jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, written by Amy Talkington from a story by Wayne Crawford and Andrew Lane, and produced by Matt Smith and Steven J. Wolfe. It is a remake of the 1983 film of the same name and stars Jessica Rothe, Josh Whitehouse, Logan Paul, and Judy Greer. The film follows Julie Richman, a Valley girl, who falls in love with Randy, a rebellious punk, during the early 1980s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Forever My Girl (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  2. ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (November 7, 2017). "Forever My Girl Trailer, a Country Superstar reconnects with His Southern Roots in Family Romance". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  3. ↑ McNary, Dave (April 25, 2017). "Alex Roe-Jessica Rothe's Romantic Drama 'Forever My Girl' Lands at Roadside". Variety . Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  4. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (April 25, 2017). "'Forever My Girl' Acquired By Roadside Attractions for October Bow". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  5. ↑ Jeff Giles (January 18, 2018). "12 Strong is a Little Flimsy". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Interview: Heidi McLaughlin, author of 'Forever My Girl' (now a movie that's out today!)". 19 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "Alex Roe Goes Country for Forever My Girl Exclusive Interview". Archived from the original on 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  8. 1 2 Christina Radish (22 January 2018). "Alex Roe on 'Forever My Girl' and Freeform's Spooky Mermaid Drama 'Siren'". Collider. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "INTERVIEW: Alex Roe Talks Forever My Girl". Archived from the original on 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  10. 1 2 "Jessica Rothe on 'Forever My Girl' & a 'Back to the Future'-Esque 'Happy Death Day' Sequel". Archived from the original on 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  11. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 21, 2018). "January Slows As 'Jumanji' Takes No. 1 For 3rd Weekend With $19M To $20M; Older Guy Pics '12 Strong' & 'Den Of Thieves' In Mid-Teens". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  12. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 28, 2018). "Fox Controls Close To 40% Of Weekend B.O. Led By 'Maze Runner' & Oscar Holdovers; 'Hostiles' Gallops Past $10M". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Forever My Girl". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 10, 2021. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  14. ↑ "Forever My Girl reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  15. ↑ Leydon, Joe (2018-01-18). "Film Review: 'Forever My Girl'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  16. ↑ Wheeler, Brad (2018-01-19). "Review: Forever My Girl is sentimental dreck of the fluffiest order". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2022-08-13. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  17. ↑ Graham, Adam (January 19, 2018). "Review: 'Forever My Girl' plays like limp country song". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on 2022-08-14. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  18. ↑ Duralde, Alonso (2018-01-17). "'Forever My Girl' Film Review: This Southern Romance Is a Country Crock". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  19. ↑ Scheck, Frank (2018-01-17). "'Forever My Girl': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  20. ↑ Walsh, Katie (2018-01-18). "'Forever My Girl' review: Showcase for the British hunk in a bland story". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.