The Last Song Movie Review

After reading "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from the movie. While I really enjoyed the book "Dear John," I didn't find the movie adaptation to be all that great, as you will learn in my Dear John movie review. Would The Last Song movie be different? Would I still be able to enjoy it after reading the book? Here's what I think of The Last Song movie.

The Last Song Plot Synopsis

The movie is about Veronica "Ronnie" Miller (Miley Cyrus), a troubled 17 year old, who has to spend the summer with her brother Jonah at the beach in Georgia with their father who abandoned the family. Ronnie's father Steve (Greg Kinnear) taught her piano most of her life, and when he walked out on the family, she could not find it in her to want to play again.

After a series of encounters, Ronnie falls meets Will Blakelee (Liam Hensworth). She begins to find herself enjoying new experiences as she falls in love for the first time. While I cannot give away much more of the plot without completely ruining the story, the plot of The Last Song definitely won't leave you bored.

Miley Cyrus's Performance in The Last Song

There is a lot of controversy about whether or not Miley Cyrus's acting in "The Last Song" was good or bad. Some think that it is worthy of an Oscar, while others say it is terrible and that Miley Cyrus should just stick to music. In my opinion, her acting in the movie is somewhere in the middle.

Miley Cyrus seems to do a good job with the script that she was handed. I feel that more could have been done to convey a troubled teenager who is angry at her father, and unwilling to play the piano because of him. I expected her to be a bit more whiney and like a teenager, but we don't seem to get any of that. I'm just not sure if it is because of Miley Cyrus herself, or the movie script.

While this is by no means a breakthrough performance, Miley Cyrus has done some progression since her role as Hannah Montana. It seems that the actress is taking very small baby steps to becoming a more mature actress. We cannot forget that Miley Cyrus is only 17 years old, which is really just a baby in comparison to other Hollywood talents.

Outstanding Performances in The Last Song

Although Miley Cyrus may not necessarily steal the show in The Last Song, there are a few people whose performances really were outstanding. Bobby Coleman, who played Ronnie's younger brother Jonah, was a total riot throughout the entire movie. Greg Kinnear did a great job playing Ronnie's father. Liam Hensworth did a great job, and the chemistry between him and Miley Cyrus was clear.

To See the Movie or Read the Book First?

One of the interesting facts that I learned about The Last Song is that Nicholas Sparks actually wrote the screenplay prior to writing the book. Miley Cyrus, who had been wanting to take on more advanced roles, and Nicholas Sparks did a lot of collaboration on the movie. Nicholas Sparks even thanks Miley Cyrus for coming up with her character's name in the beginning of "The Last Song."

The fact that the book was written after the movie seems to be somewhat of a problem, however. A lot seems to be left out of The Last Song movie. I'm not sure if this was to better accommodate the needs of the big screen, or if it is because Nicholas Sparks further developed "The Last Song" after the movie script was done.

So which should you do first: read "The Last Song" or see the movie? In my opinion, it would be more ideal to see the movie first. Although there are small changes which are made to The Last Song movie, they work great on the big screen. When you later read "The Last Song," I think that some of the details which were left out of the movie would make for a more interesting read - instead of perhaps a slight disappointment if you were to read the book first.

Conclusion

Overall, I give the movie 4 out of 5 stars. The Last Song is a really good movie, aside from some missing pieces which could have improved the movie. The movie is definitely worth watching, however, regardless of how you feel about Miley Cyrus. It is much better than many of the recent movies which have been released.

To read my book review "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks, click here.