Kein Ort ohne Dich

If you're thinking that this film has a familiar look to it that's because The Longest Ride And The Notebook are both originating from the pen of Nicholas Sparks. This is the story of a seemingly mismatched young couple Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson and an old man with his memories who cements their relationship.

Nostalgia is bursting all over the place with The Longest Ride. Scott Eastwood, son of Clint Eastwood is an aspiring bull rider competing in the Professional Bull Riders who gets dumped in the lap of spectator Britt Robertson. That's a plot gambit borrowed A Lady Takes A Chance where John Wayne made the acquaintance of Jean Arthur that way.

As her girlfriends tell her who wouldn't want to make it with a cowboy and I can agree there. But while the chemistry is there, they come from different worlds. Eastwood is the son of a bull rider and he lives on the ranch that he inherited from his dad with his mother Lolita Davidovitch. He knows his days as a professional bull rider are limited and he wants the prize money while he still can afford. He's flirting dangerously with permanent injury and death more than most bull riders as he's had a dangerous concussion already.

Robertson is an art history major and wants a career in that and may move to New York as that's the capital of the art world in the USA. Somebody is going to have to make a sacrifice.

One day both save the life of an elderly Alan Alda who kind of adopts the two of them and shares the memories of the wonderful married life he had with his late wife. Flashbacks give us big clues as to why these people were so right for each other and in his youth Alda is played by Jack Huston, grandson of John Huston and Oona Chaplin who has both Charlie Chaplin and Eugene O'Neill in her pedigree is his wife who was a refugee from the Nazis. For that matter Alan Alda is the son of Robert Alda speaking of nepotism.

Alda is really the one stealing the show here. As appealing and romantic as young Eastwood and Robertson are, Alda gives a really great performance and his introductory narrations really give flashback sequences some real poignancy. I hope there's some Oscar consideration for Alda in the Supporting Actor category.

Of course it all works out for the young people as you knew it would. But for it to happen young Eastwood hits the equivalent of a big lottery ticket. And I'm not talking about the PBR Las Vegas finals either.

For romantics of all ages is The Longest Ride.

If you enjoyed other Nicolas Sparks movies, you will enjoy this one. It is heartwarming and one with integrity that depicts what it is to love someone unconditionally. It is a sweet, and sensual romance of a young couple struggling to come together while each follows their dreams. Sophia, wants to follow her passion of art, and Luke, follows his passion as the world's best bull rider. Their love story is entwined with the memories of a relationship of love long ago, told and acted by Alan Alda, who plays Ira, as he reads letters he wrote to his dear wife, Ruth. The scenery of the movie is lovely, the bull riding is exciting, the script, thoughtful and touching. Have Kleenex on hand, you will cry. At the end of this movie the audience clapped because it was good all the way through.

Enjoyable tearjerker flick paralleling modern love story between bull rider and college student with that of an older gentleman who is on his deathbed. I personally thought that the story of the older couple was more developed and less cliché. The plot is overall enjoyable. The cinematography of North Carolina mountains is beautiful. My favorite scene was the last bull riding scene which is in slow motion and uses punchy bass (only real use of LFE effects in the movie).

On a personal note, I was saddened to read that Rango the Bull passed away after shooting the movie but before the film was released. Apparently he was a real life superstar in the rodeo circuit.

Two stories in one, which is what made this movie, had it just been one or the other I don't think I would have written this review. It certainly didn't hurt that they cast Alan Alda in it too, he is such a wonderful actor, no matter what role he plays, this included. This is a simple love story, times 2. This is not any brilliant "oh my gosh no one has ever made a movie this deep and this incredible before" type of movie. It's mushy, sweet, romantic, hopeful, sad, happy, sometimes predictable, and when it was over I said, "I really enjoyed that movie". That's what it's all about, for me, enjoying the movie. If it makes me feel good in the process, then that's even better. I would recommend this, but not to someone who is not the least bit romantic or hopeful, because you will be one of the people who writes a negative review.