In another love story that we have all seen before, the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ latest novel “The Last Song” left much to be desired. The film changed the story line in noticeable ways and also misses out some of the more important scenes.
Miley Cyrus plays the rebellious teenager Ronnie, who is reluctant to spend the summer with her father (Greg Kinnear) due to bitterness about her parents’ divorce. Ronnie and her brother Jonah (Bobby Coleman) are sent to spend the summer with their father to try and reconnect.
Upon arrival, Ronnie is miserable and pushes away all those who try to get close, but is taken on a journey where she manages to finally bond with her father through their mutual love of the piano.
Cyrus makes a good attempt at being a rebellious teenager, something far from her Hannah Montana days, which could be the start of a more serious acting career; it was almost as if the role was made for her. She managed to include the audience by having them empathise with her emotionally.
Coleman provides comic relief throughout and adds extra emotion when needed. Towards the end of the film, you really felt for this young boy and many audience members were crying along with him. Kinnear adds depth to the story and acts as a voice of understanding and acceptance. He showed that we all have secrets that we keep from those we love, and was perfectly cast for the role.
Although the acting was good, the storyline itself changes some things that made the novel so great. Important scenes vital to the storyline were cut, and those that have been included were drastically altered, making the film lose that spark and drama that the novel holds.
“A story about family, first loves, second chances and the moments in life that lead you back home.” Like all of Sparks’ adaptations, “The Last Song” is a film worth going to see for the acting alone. However, if you have read the book, you may be disappointed.