Most important in terms of fiction I like is style and characterizations. I'm not fond of "low" styles of popular fiction with head-hopping, book-saidisms and other awkward writing gremlins, but neither am I fond of "high" post-modernistic styles such as stream-of-consciousness, refusal to use quotation marks and other artificial literary pretentiousness--yet I'm capable of enjoying a novel written entirely in second person. Go figure. Give me a character to root for, I can get through dark material--after all The Color Purple and The Kite Runner are favorites of mine--but if I basically dislike every character, especially the protagonist, I'm not going to make it through hundreds of pages. So yes, expect me to rate some literary masterpieces low and some cheesy but fun books high.
This is based upon Nicholas Spark's novel of the same name--which I found unreadable drek. I found the film much more watchable than the book was readable. It was likable, even moving, in its cheesy emotionally manipulative way. James Garner was even nominated by the Screen Actor's Guild for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and I can see why. But among the best romantic films of all time? Not on my list.