The Best of Me (2014)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
The story of Dawson and Amanda unfolds through a series of alternating scenes between their shared past in 1992 and their separate lives in the present.
The story
The film follows the lives of Dawson and Amanda, moving between scenes of their relationship in 1992 and their current lives. Dawson, a man working on an oil rig who survives a near-fatal explosion, returns home for the first time in twenty years following the death of his mentor and surrogate father, Tuck. Upon his arrival, he discovers that Tuck arranged for his former high school sweetheart, Amanda, to join him to help heal old wounds. However, Amanda is now married. The narrative explores their intertwined histories, the secrets of Dawson's past with a criminal family, and the impact of Tuck's final wishes on their current lives.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film explores the lives of Dawson and Amanda, alternating between their relationship in 1992 and their lives in the present. Dawson, a man from a criminal family who was raised by his mentor Tuck, survives a near-fatal explosion on an oil rig. Upon Tuck's death, he returns home and finds Amanda, his former high school sweetheart, there as part of Tuck's final wishes. The story reveals that Dawson's past involved a violent confrontation with his family, leading him to testify against them and cut ties with Amanda. In the present, they spend a night together before Amanda returns to her family. Later, Dawson is attacked by his brothers and is shot and killed by his father. A year later, Amanda's son reveals that the donor for his heart transplant was Dawson. She finds a letter he left for her, expressing his love before his death.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Hoffman
- Writers
- Will Fetters · writer; J. Mills Goodloe · writer
- Cast and characters
- Michelle Monaghan · Amanda Collier-Reynolds; James Marsden · Dawson Cole; Luke Bracey · young Dawson; Liana Liberato · young Amanda; Caroline Goodall · Evelyn Collier; Gerald McRaney · Tuck Hostetler; Sebastian Arcelus · Frank Reynolds; Jon Tenney · Harvey Collier
- Genres
- romantic drama
- Themes
- lost love; family trauma; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- romantic; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- romance; drama; based on a novel
- Source material / true-story basis
- Nicholas Sparks' 2011 novel
- Reception
- The film was panned by critics, receiving low scores on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, though it received a 'B+' grade from audiences in CinemaScore polls.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 12% · scale: percentage · review count: 82; Metacritic · score: 29 · scale: 100 · review count: 26
- Production trivia
- Paul Walker was originally cast as the lead but passed away before filming began.; The film is the third adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel by Relativity Media.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…