The Last Song (C- or 1.5/4 stars)
'The Last Song' (directed by Julie Anne Robinson & written - for the 1st time - by Nicholas Sparks; who wrote the novel) is the very definition of the term "sappy movie". I mean, relatively speaking ... open dictionary, point to 'sappy movie', read: 'The Last Song'. Rebellious 17 yr. old Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller's (Myley Cyrus) life was ruined when her parents (Greg Kinnear, Kelly Preston) divorced & her dad moved from NYC to Tybee Island, Georgia. 3 yrs. later, she's stilled pissed & takes it out on her parents, particularly dad ... until her mom decides it would be beneficial for she & her brother, Jonah (Bobby Coleman), to spend the summer with dad on the beach. Ronnie's dad, a former concert pianist & teacher, is living the quiet life now, & immerses himself in creating a stained glass window to be featured in his local church (why he's doing this is a whollllle other story).
The story that eventually unfolds is a tale of love: daughter-father love, son-father, sister-brother, & even girlfriend-boyfriend; as Ronnie falls in love with - then out of - then in - then out of - then in love again with local rich boy, Will (Australian, Liam Hemsworth); their relationship starts out rocky, but they bond when she discovers his love for saving baby turtles, & other aquatic life. Can Ronnie's father reconnect with Ronnie via the power of music? Can she drop her bitchy attitude & let her heart heal? Yadayada. This film is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, so you can imagine some tragedy strikes; and boy does it ever. This story of family, reconnection, hidden secrets, & love is the kind that can only culminate in a big, sappy, melodramatic climax. Stock your crying tissues, peeps.
I give this film a C- for 2 reasons. 1) Myley Cyrus has the dubious knack of making me both WANT & NOT want to view this movie. Her acting is pretty bad. Her face annoys me. She sounds like a foghorn. The character she portrays does nothing to endear me to her. And yet, she's irksome enough to always keep me watching; to see if she improves, to see if she gets worse, to see if there's a hint of charm anywhere in her. And 2) while the movie is as mediocre & cliched as they come, the film never dips into 'awful' territory, & maintains that stable level of mediocrity. Its less-than-good quality started to lull me - that is - until the mind-numbing final 20 min. nearly did me in (I thought my eyes would roll into my head permanently).
I've already wrote about Myley. Let's talk about little Bobby Coleman for a second. I think he's great; striking the right chord as dutiful son, happy-go-lucky brother, & extremely sensitive youngen. I was impressed. And a hugging scene btwn. him & his dad (played well by Greg Kinnear) made me well-up. The other character of note is Will. Liam Hemsworth is fine. I just couldn't get over his shiny, plastic physicality. He basically looked like a Ken doll come to life. It was ... weird. So overall, 'The Last Song' is an easier film to take than Sparks' last film adaptation, Dear John. But that ain't sayin' much. This movie is palatable, & sentimental (within reason), until the manipulative & overwrought final turn in the narrative. 'The Last Song' is a weepy that makes me weep ... for its quality.
The story that eventually unfolds is a tale of love: daughter-father love, son-father, sister-brother, & even girlfriend-boyfriend; as Ronnie falls in love with - then out of - then in - then out of - then in love again with local rich boy, Will (Australian, Liam Hemsworth); their relationship starts out rocky, but they bond when she discovers his love for saving baby turtles, & other aquatic life. Can Ronnie's father reconnect with Ronnie via the power of music? Can she drop her bitchy attitude & let her heart heal? Yadayada. This film is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, so you can imagine some tragedy strikes; and boy does it ever. This story of family, reconnection, hidden secrets, & love is the kind that can only culminate in a big, sappy, melodramatic climax. Stock your crying tissues, peeps.
I give this film a C- for 2 reasons. 1) Myley Cyrus has the dubious knack of making me both WANT & NOT want to view this movie. Her acting is pretty bad. Her face annoys me. She sounds like a foghorn. The character she portrays does nothing to endear me to her. And yet, she's irksome enough to always keep me watching; to see if she improves, to see if she gets worse, to see if there's a hint of charm anywhere in her. And 2) while the movie is as mediocre & cliched as they come, the film never dips into 'awful' territory, & maintains that stable level of mediocrity. Its less-than-good quality started to lull me - that is - until the mind-numbing final 20 min. nearly did me in (I thought my eyes would roll into my head permanently).
I've already wrote about Myley. Let's talk about little Bobby Coleman for a second. I think he's great; striking the right chord as dutiful son, happy-go-lucky brother, & extremely sensitive youngen. I was impressed. And a hugging scene btwn. him & his dad (played well by Greg Kinnear) made me well-up. The other character of note is Will. Liam Hemsworth is fine. I just couldn't get over his shiny, plastic physicality. He basically looked like a Ken doll come to life. It was ... weird. So overall, 'The Last Song' is an easier film to take than Sparks' last film adaptation, Dear John. But that ain't sayin' much. This movie is palatable, & sentimental (within reason), until the manipulative & overwrought final turn in the narrative. 'The Last Song' is a weepy that makes me weep ... for its quality.