If you've seen one (or two) Nicholas Sparks movies, you really have seen them all. Favorite themes: the beach, fathers and sons, redemption through building something, an untimely illness or death, long-lost love, North Carolina, etc. This one was a little different due to an interesting cast of actors.
Though some of the humor may seem a bit unfashionably homophobic now, this movie remains a great example of low-budget, independent filmmaking that works because of the strength of the script.