“The Last Song” is a film marked with high expectations – not only is it the sixth film adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, but also the pre-teen sensation Miley Cyrus’s attempt to play a more serious role.
Following the classic Nicholas Sparks story pattern, “The Last Song” is a heart-warming romance with poignant undertones that will attract viewers who desire to be captivated by a love story.
Ronnie Miller (Cyrus) and her brother Jonah (Bobby Coleman) move from their home in New York City with their mother to spend the summer with their father in Georgia. Ronnie, once a piano prodigy, is bitter from her parents’ divorce and refuses to play – a passion that she used to share with her father Steve (Greg Kinnear).
Throughout the summer, Ronnie is rebellious and cold towards her father, who wants to earn her forgiveness.
Ronnie eventually meets Will (Liam Hemsworth) and after several attempts to push him away, their paths continue to cross, and they begin to fall in love. As their relationship grows, Ronnie begins to soften toward her father, and the two start to reconnect.
The film moves at a good pace and hits all the high points found within the novel without adding pointless extra scenes that slows the plot.
The script is well written; in fact, it was co-written by Jeff Van Wie and Sparks, which is the first time Sparks has ever assisted in the composition of a film adaptation to one of his novels. Probably because of this, only a few minor plot points are changed, unlike the movie version of “Dear John,” whose ending upset many fans of the book.
However, the script could have carried more emotion over from the novel. While the dialogue in the book brought me to tears, I left the movie dry-eyed. It seems to lack the signature heart-wrenching emotion that usually accompanies a Sparks movie.
Kinnear and Coleman are excellent. Coleman’s ability to express such diverse emotions is impressive. Kinnear’s performance as Ronnie’s father reiterates his talent as an actor.
Aside from being stereotypical eye candy, Hemsworth plays his heartthrob role well. He conveys the popular and handsome crush but at the same time dives in with his more emotional scenes.
The cinematography is beautiful – the scenes of the ocean and the quaint setting of the story are presented well. Although the setting in the movie is different from the original setting in the novel, I was satisfied with its appearance – especially the Georgia church that mysteriously burned down before Ronnie arrives.
The soundtrack adds emotion to the overall experience. Artists like One Republic, Iron & Wine and Edwin McCain form a musical compilation that fits well with the story.
However, in light of its redeeming qualities, some of the acting in the movie disappoints.
As a completely neutral observer, I saw the movie with full intentions of giving Cyrus a chance to prove herself as a serious actress but was let down.
Throughout the movie, Cyrus seems able to only portray two emotions: mean and giddy. I realize she is portraying a rebellious teenager, but she frowns the entire time. When she was not frowning, she had a glazed-over schoolgirl expression on her face that seems prepubescent and awkward.
Her transitional emotions left a lot to be desired. There never seems to be a time where she was simply Ronnie. She was always mad, gushy or upset.
Cyrus is not very natural with this role. It seems as though she is trying too hard to be dramatic and her mannerisms appear to be forced.
Even though I was unimpressed with Cyrus in this movie, I still have some hope for her. I would hardly call her performance as Ronnie a “breakout role” but perhaps with some intense coaching and more experience, she can develop into the actress that she was expected to be in “The Last Song.”
With a different female lead, this movie would have carried more emotional weight. Another actress with more diverse skills would have made a world of difference. Someone older than Cyrus would have been more legitimate for the audience to accept and take seriously.
“The Last Song” was a good attempt but fell short of its expectations.
Kinnear and Coleman are the saving graces in this movie and keep it from taking a complete nose dive. When craving a Sparks movie, resort to “The Notebook” or “A Walk to Remember.”
1 out of 4 stars