( May 25, 2012 ) — Our favorite Nicholas Sparks’ books never fail to be captured on the big screen, where we get to put a face to the characters that captured our hearts. As soon as I found out that The Lucky One was being produced as a movie I was literally counting down the days. But, I must say, it’s much more one of those movies that you watch at home under a blanket on a rainy day with a bowl of popcorn and dimmed lighting. It’s always said that the movie is never as good as the book, and The Lucky One is just another example of this. If you haven’t read the book then some of the flaws I saw in the movie probably won’t apply. The biggest flaw I’d have to say is that the beginning, where the character develops the most for us, is very rushed. In the book there’s a lot more substance to the whole story, making it no longer a typical love story. Something else I would’ve liked to have seen done differently was the father-son relationship between Keith Clayton (Jay R. Ferguson) and Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart). In the book I thought it was a nice addition to have the son and father have a disconnected and tense relationship that a lot of people could connect with. So it was disappointing to see that as not a factor in the movie. The one thing I can’t complain about is the acting. Even though a lot of depth was lost due to the rushed start, Zac Effron gave a lot more substance to his character Logan Thibault than I thought was possible. And although I hadn’t ever seen Taylor Shilling act before, I was definitely pleasantly surprised with her character as Beth. She captured the same warmth that was also felt in Beth’s character in the book. The Lucky One probably won’t be bringing home any awards, but it’s definitely a feel-good movie that I wouldn’t mind watching again, but this time in the convenience of my own home. And feel-good is what Nicholas Sparks is all about, right? In all, the few lost elements were made up for with the acting. And considering it’s almost impossible to transform the book word by word into a movie, The Lucky One was close enough to where it doesn’t matter if you read the book or not, if you’re the romantic type then it’ll still be enjoyable.