“The Vow,” a romantic drama starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, is currently the number 1 movie on Netflix in the US, according to FlixPatrol (as Feb. 4th, 2024). The film originally was released in 2012, and it has remained a favorite for fans of the genre.
McAdams stars as Paige, who after a traffic accident, wakes up after a coma and has forgotten her husband Leo (Tatum) and the life they had together. However, he is determined to win her heart back once again.
The film was directed by Michael Sucsy, and it also has Sam Neill, Scott Speedman, Jessica Lange and Jessica McNamee in supporting roles. While it received mixed reviews from critics, it was a box office success (grossing over $190 million worldwide) and it seems to still have a second-life on streaming.
The real story that inspired ‘The Vow’
“The Vow” is loosely based on the true story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, who also wrote a book about their relationship. They married in September 1993, and two months later they were involved in a serious car accident on Thanksgiving.
As depicted by the movie, Krickitt suffered a brain trauma and when she woke up 21 days later, she didn’t remember her husband or their marriage. While Kim tried to help her recover her memory, nothing worked and he decided to court her again. Two years and countless dates later, the couple remarried.
When promoting the film back in 2012, Tatum said to SFG that “Leo’s a victim as well, even though he didn’t go through the windshield. He has to live with all those beautiful moments that are now gone, that he essentially has to erase in his mind.”
While the film ends up on a positive note, Carpenter’s story ended up differently. In 2018, the couple announced that they were divorcing after Kim had an affair. Krickett told “Inside Edition” at the time that the affair “was shocking and surprising.”
They have two children: a son, Danny, born in 2000 and a daughter, Lee Ann born in 2003. “Inside Edition” reported that Krickett moved into a townhouse with her daughter, while her son moved in with Kim.