La dernière chanson

Okay I'm a 34 year old male who watched this movie the other day. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I like Greg Kinnear a lot and the Hemsworth kid. I'm not a Miley fan by any means but it's clear all of these low scores bashing this movie are in response to hating her. It's a simple love story with teen angst and all that. It doesn't rewrite the genre by any means but it's not terrible. Has so some beautiful music and cinematography as well. Give it a watch if you're bored and keep an open mind.

(Synopsis) "The Last Song" is set in a small Southern beach town in Tybee Island, Georgia, where Steve (Greg Kinnear), a divorced father, gets a chance to spend the summer with his teenaged daughter Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) and his young son Jonah (Bobby Coleman). Ronnie would rather be in New York City than be in this hick town, especially with her father, who she believes abandoned her three years earlier. Steve tries to reconnect with Ronnie through their love of music. Steve was a concert pianist who loved teaching Ronnie how to play the piano. Ronnie became so good at playing, that Juilliard has offered her a scholarship. This is a story of family secrets that revolves around first loves and second chances.

(My Comment) This is a touching story of a father reconnecting to his children, and of his children learning the lesson of life. It shows how different types of relationships can end up breaking your heart and giving you pain and what you must do to mend your heart. I thought it was slow at the beginning of the movie, but it drew me in and I began to accept the characters. This is a good movie that shows all the trials and tribulations that teenagers go through in life. And you may even shed a tear at the end. (Touchstone Pictures (Disney), Run Time 1:50, Rated PG) (6/10)

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.

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.

I was in the local Target last week, and I decided to pick up a copy of The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. I had to read The Notebook in college, so I had a feeling that I would like this novel as well. It definitely did not disappoint. It was hard to put down, and I think I may have finished it in about 2-3 days. It was just that good. I like how Sparks took the time to develop the characters and how nothing in the novel seemed forced (for lack of a better word).

After reading the book, I was very excited to rent the movie (RedBox is amazing!) and watch it after work (as a part of my Wine and a Movie event). I can honestly say that I was a little nervous, especially after the debacle that was The Lovely Bones (great book, horrible movie), but I decided to give it a try. I figured that The Notebook was a great Nicholas Sparks adaptation, so why should The Last Song be? Hmmm...that was a HUGE logic FAIL! The movie was horrible! I found myself not being interested in the first 5 minutes, but I felt it necessary to finish the movie to at least give it a chance to redeem itself (which, of course, it did not).

Although I am young (24), I am not so naive to believe that a movie based on a book can read exactly the same, but my goodness...were they remaking the same book that I had previously read? I was highly disappointed, mad, and confused. There was no character development, and there were sections in the book that as I read it, I knew would be great in the movie...unfortunately, those episodes went untouched.

It just left me asking myself why - why did I rent this movie? why did I not turn it off in the first 5 minutes? why would they waste time and money making this movie? why Miley Cyrus? etc...

In conclusion, I advise you to just read the book and use your imagination. You'll come out better that way.