Nights In Rodanthe (2008)
Adrienne Willis, a woman with her life in chaos, retreats to the tiny coastal town of Rodanthe, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to tend to a friend's inn for the weekend. Here she hopes to find the tranquility she so desperately needs to rethink the conflicts surrounding her -- a wayward husband who has asked to come home, and a teen-aged daughter who resents her every decision. Almost as soon as Adrienne gets to Rodanthe, a major storm is forecast and a guest named Dr. Paul Flanner arrive. The only guest at the inn, Flanner is not on a weekend escape but rather is there to face his own crisis of conscience. Now, with the storm closing in, the two turn to each other for comfort and, in one magical weekend, set in motion a life-changing romance that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives...
It's never too late for a second chance
Adrienne Willis: When Jack left me, it wasn't just our marriage ending. It was the loss of all the hopes that I'd had for the future. I tried to move on, but the world didn't seem that interested in me anymore. Then you came along, and helped me believe in myself again.
Village of Rodanthe, Outer Banks, North Carolina, USA
Southport, North Carolina, USA
(historic Clarendon Avenue)
Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
Topsail Beach, North Carolina, USA
Carolina Beach, North Carolina, USA
As of 2013, the house has been renamed "The Inn at Rodanthe" and completely refurbished to more closely resemble the interior movie scenes which were filmed elsewhere in North Carolina. Sun Realty manages the property and has extensive photographs of the interior, particularly the blue bedroom in which Richard Gere's character stays while visiting. The unique shutter doors into the kitchen have also been re-created as have the various shutters, porches, and exterior details.
The house in which the movie is set is a vacation rental property, not a bed and breakfast, and is named "Serendipity".
The original house was built too close to the beach, with an insufficient foundation. After the film crew left, the house was declared a public nuisance and condemned. Later, it was purchased, moved to a new location, and renovated to more closely match the house featured in the film. (The new owners were big fans.)
At only one hour and thirty-seven minutes, this is the shortest film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel to date.
Diane Lane and Richard Gere appeared in Unfaithful (2002) and The Cotton Club (1984).
Continuity
Early in the film, right after he checks in and she is in the kitchen to prepare dinner, she finds a photo on the refrigerator of her and her family, including her separated husband, and moves it to a cabinet. In the next shot she is working on dinner with the cabinet behind her and the photo is not there.
Factual errors
Before the hurricane made landfall, Adrienne said that the US Coast guard issued a hurricane warning for their area of the North Carolina coast. The US Coast guard cannot issue weather related warnings. It would have been the National Hurricane center that issued the warning.
Errors in geography
The wild horses do not exist where the movie takes place. They are actually about 60 miles north near Corolla. They would have to swim across a wide inlet to get to Rodanthe from Corolla. Another herd of these wild horses is on Ocracoke Island, about 35 miles south, but are penned in for their protection. Another herd of these wild horses are located on the Cape Lookout National Seashore, and freely roam between Cape Lookout, Shackleford Banks, and Carrot Island, near Beaufort, NC.
In the opening sequence Dr. Paul Flanner is shown driving north on Route 12, apparently toward Rodanthe from Raleigh. (The ocean is to his right.) And he's seen making a ferry crossing, later discussed in the dialogue, which would have been the Ocracoke-Hatteras Island ferry, south of Rodanthe. But in the same early sequence, he's seen crossing the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge at Oregon Inlet, which is actually north of Rodanthe, connecting Bodie Island and Hatteras Island. In fact, the driving route between Raleigh and Rodanthe would almost certainly not include any ferry crossings, which are considerably further south than the Raleigh-Rodanthe route, and would approach Rodanthe from the north.
In the beginning of the film, when Dr. Paul Flanner is driving to Rodanthe, there is a short scene in which he's driving on US-17 south of Myrtle Beach, SC. (The store with the big sharks mouth entrance) This is nowhere near his supposed driving route. The store with the giant shark is actually the Shark Attack Souvenir and Gift Shop at 1295 NC Highway 210, Sneads Ferry, NC.
Paul Flanner gazes out into the sea and notices an orange light on the horizon. Adrienne comments that it's 'Teach's light.' Teach's light is based upon the legend of Blackbeard the pirate (Edward Teach) and his ghost wandering the 'Teach's Hole' inlet on the sound side of Okracoke Island in NC. However, the setting of the film is Rodanthe which is located north on Hatteras Island overlooking the Atlantic Ocean (surf side).
