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Commentary: What critics are saying about ‘Nights’ and why they are dumb

By JOY CRIST

Many Ocracoke and Hatteras islanders were eagerly anticipating being the first in line at the premier of the movie that centers around our hometown, “Nights in Rodanthe.”

Then the Avon movie theater closed.

No matter, we’ll all trek up to Kill Devil Hills and make it an evening out while up the beach. Then a storm came, and the road was flooded for days, pretty much exactly in the exact same spot where the movie was filmed. So, except for a few brave souls who don’t mind a little salt water seeping into their vehicles, the majority of us won’t get to see the movie about a storm in Rodanthe, because of a storm in Rodanthe. Now that’s serendipity.

Since we were all stranded on an island during a storm (Hey, that sounds like a movie plot!), we turned our attention to those mainland experts from all over the country who had an opportunity to see the movie and review it with a critical eye, right?
Wrong.

Turns out, that while these folks are generally exceptional when it comes to reviewing movies, (They saved me a good $9 when “2 Fast 2 Furious” came out, and for that I’ll always be grateful.), the majority of these reviewers know diddlysquat about the Outer Banks.

One would think that this wouldn’t affect whether a movie summarization is good or bad whatsoever, but to the folks who live where the movie is shot, it certainly does.

Consider the following excerpt from an Associated Press review published in the Canadian Press, one of the first “Nights in Rodanthe” reviews to hit the media:

“…Which brings us to a question you'll probably be asking yourself when/if you see the movie, too: How has this rambling, old beach-front bed and breakfast survived one hurricane over the years, much less several? The thing is on stilts in the sand. Waves lap underneath it on an ordinary day. And it's so quaintly quirky and top-heavy, like some impossible construction for a Disney theme park ride, it looks as if a stiff breeze would be enough to make it topple over.”

Well, Canadian film reviewer, I’ll have you know that this little house went through a good 20 years of hurricanes before the film was shot. (Granted, many local people marvel that it has survived storms over the past couple of years or so, but the fact still remains that it has.) Also, believe it or not, friend, there are actually a few homes on the Outer Banks that are on stilts in sand, and when I say “a few,” I mean all of them.

This wasn’t the only instance of silly little facts getting in the way of journalism. Here are a few more excerpts in the dozens of reviews that got it wrong:

“’Rodanthe’ is set mostly on an island of that same name just off the coast of North Carolina.”

Sorry. It’s only “Rodanthe Island” when it storms and floods on both sides of the village. But considering the weather we’ve had lately, I’ll let this one slide.

Let’s move on to another example:

“The pristine Carolina beaches make you think that they at last made a movie of the J. Crew catalog. Still, William G. Davis' art direction is attractively cluttered with Third World and outsider art. This funk is useful, since the exterior of the hotel is a CGI mockup, built precipitously close to the ocean.”

Ah, it’s always nice to hear the place in which you live likened to the “third world.”

And if you’re still not convinced on how screwy and inaccurate some of these reviews are, then allow me to share this excerpt from the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Rodanthe, a small island town on North Carolina's Outer Banks, is ludicrously picturesque... The film doubles as a live-action supplement to a shelter magazine; the set decoration must have taken months, as the rooms of the bed and breakfast mismatch perfectly, with the deep blue walls, and the homey details that this film's target audience will recognize as being, in real life, outrageously expensive…

“…It must be said that the ‘hick’ accents of the townspeople are offensive, especially in contrast with the generic moneyed ease with which the main characters fly through the film.”

Hmm... A shelter magazine? Offensive hick accents of us townspeople? And supposed months of work making Serendipity look ludicrous? Fabulous.

Now, I will note that being stuck and unable to see the movie, for all I know, the film did portray locals as card carrying rednecks, hollering “Yee-haw!” while sipping brackish whiskey out of jugs and spitting tobacco juice out of the corner of their mouths.

But having seen a good number of previews, and noting a local accent or two that was somewhat close to how a few Hatteras Island residents converse (such as I), I can’t help but find the “offensive hick accent” comment… offensive.

So come on, reviewers, and do your research. (Hey, I googled “Nights in Rodanthe” reviews twice before I started pounding out the first paragraph of this story.)

No one minds if you criticize the plot, the acting, the storyline, etc. But when it comes to the location, since a lot of people know Rodanthe very well, remember that if you don’t have anything intelligent to say, don’t say anything at all.

Now if only I could follow my own advice most of the time.

(Joy Crist, a frequent contributor to The Island Free Press, lives in Avon and commutes to the tri-villages of Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo for her job. Maybe she will eventually see the movie.)