The Last Song

This film tells the story of a teenage girl and her brother, who are forced to spend the summer with their father in a southern seaside town. She meets a charming guy and falls for him, but unfortunately life gets in the way.

"The Last Song" is quite a weak Nicholas Sparks story because it cannot decide what it wants to be. Is it a romantic story between two teenagers, or a drama about an estranged father and daughter relationship? The first half is the former while the second half is the latter. The film appears to be a forced hybrid between the two, and is not helped by the constantly grumpy Miley Cyrus. She and Liam Hemsworth don't even look right together for this film. Fortunately Greg Kinnear is very good as the father who has a secret he can't tell anyone, which saves the film a bit.

This is a perfect example of how to spoil a master piece. I am so sorry for Nicholas Sparks who wrote a wonderful book only to be ruined by a bad screenplay, terrible editing and ordinary acting. All those who have read the book should be able to appreciate what I am talking about. Julie Anne Robinson has tried to use her creativity and tweak the story here and there but all she has managed to do is to ruin the whole plot. Some things are just better left untouched is the lesson she should learn out of it. Miley Cyrus is a huge disappointment and it seems she wasn't a good choice in the first place. She failed miserably to do what Mandy Moore did to "A Walk To Remember". On the whole, the movie gives the impression that they have just somehow managed to narrate the whole story in the 108 minutes given to them without really worrying about retaining the emotionally charged plot Nicholas Sparks had created. Thumbs down all the way :(

Miley Cyrus fans might hate me for saying this, but the makers of "The Last Song" should have hired a real actress for the lead role. Miley obviously doesn't have the talent or know how to act. I had nothing against her, but in this, the first role I've seen her act in, it seemed like she was just playing herself and not playing any part that was written for her.

That said, "The Last Song" is a bust. It's a set of tired old recycled and clichéd experiences and really isn't worth the 107 minutes it takes to watch it. For the most part the storyline is so tired and old. And after watching it I was also disappointed that Greg Kinnear had signed up for it. That I can remember, I've always liked his acting and the roles he chose. But in this case, the writing was so, so poor that even if the makers of "The Last Song" signed up the best actors in Hollywood it couldn't save this film. They'd have to find some writers who were at a minimum mediocre-ish in order to improve this story.

All I can say is save yourself and watch something else.

Alright, first I shall note that I have not read the book. I hadn't even seen a trailer for this film before I had gone. I went with my mother and sister who had both read the book and more than enjoyed it. I really had no idea what this story was even about. I walked in with a completely open mind.

The acting in this movie was wonderful. On almost every account also. Greg Kinnear was amazing in the movie and the boy who played the son I was even impressed with. Miley Cyrus seemed to be the only exception. I hated her acting from the moment the movie began. As the movie went forth, I started to change my mind at times. She had no problem changing it back though. She was so off and on through out the entire film. She looked confused at times and when she actually had to show emotion like anger it was as if she didn't know what to do. But enough of that.

The story at times seemed rushed and misunderstood. Everything was predictable. The portions of the movie where I actually felt as though I was supposed to cry seemed to happen so fast that I felt like I didn't have time to understand how the characters felt. There were major holes in the plot that I still had questions about and it drove me nuts at times. There were a couple of times where I actually felt like I was enjoying it but they came and went quickly also. The whole movie, and please remember that I absolutely knew nothing about this story before hand, I felt like I had nothing to look forward to.

In the end I would say that I wouldn't suggest paying to see this in theaters. I definitely wouldn't buy it on DVD and I probably wouldn't even recommend renting it later. If by some chance you get an opportunity to see it for free and you're curious then go for it. I'd also like to mention that, from what I understand from my mother and my sister, this movie completely differs from the book so don't expect what you've read and definitely don't get to excited for this.

That's why sometimes I really should ignore IMDb's ratings! My parents went to see this movie last week and told me to watch it. And so I did it tonight. OK, Miley Cyrus isn't the best actress in the world and she's stuck to the Hanna Montana and so on kind of roles that she did. Even considering that, I don't get why do people hate her this much! She had a quite acceptable performance in this movie. I'd give her a 6/10 stars rate, honestly believing that she'll improve a lot through her life as an actress. BUT WAIT! I really think we should rate this movie considering all the other things that compose it: a well-written and really moving story, an amazing soundtrack, a BRILLIANT Bobby Coleman's performance (WOOW! this kid will get very far in his career!) that almost made me shed a tear, a respectful cast, great landscapes and beautiful scenarios... There were some tiny moments with lack of total sense, and some slight errors of continuity, but totally harmless to the movie itself. Just stop hating the girl like she ruined the movie, because she did not do it at all. (and I swear I'm not a MC fan)

Strongly recommended to watch with your lover!