When does Nicholas Sparks think he's going to keep surprising us with a surprise twist in each of his books/films by having someone die?
You may be a little upset that we just revealed the spoiler, but you won't be too upset after you see the film.
The Last Song is set in Tybee Island, Georgia where Miley Cyrus was able to let her hair down (aand apply a little extra eyeliner as a rebellious teen who's about to fall in love with a preppy ladies man (Liam Hemsworth) during the summer. She secretly is a professional pianist who recently was accepted to Juilliard, but declined because she's too caught up in trying to figure out what to do with her life. Although she's been in trouble with the law, it's assumed she pushes people away and has issues because of her parents' divorce.
If anything, Cyrus' and Hemsworth's on-screen romance was almost palpable--maybe due to the fact that they're dating in real life, which helped set the mood. Either way, we didn't mind, because it was pretty believable--even for Miley Cyrus. There were parts that were endearing and romantic, without going off the deep end.
Kelly Preston plays Cyrus' (Ronnie) mother who appears from time to time throughout the film, although we're never sure why her and Ronnie's father ever divorced. Now Ronnie and her little brother (newcomer, Bobby Coleman) are staying with their father for the summer in his beach house, while trying to come to terms with Ronnie's past.
Although the romance between Hemsworth and Cyrus was cute and romantic, her performance wasn't. Her voice made her appear too young for Hemsworth's character and made you wonder what he saw in her. Hemsworth's performance was one of the best in the cast with his emotions raw throughout the film and his Aussie accent almost hardly noticeable. Coleman plays Ronnie's younger brother, who has a bigger heart than she does by helping his dad make stained glass windows for the local church. When tragedy strikes (remember our previous spoiler?) his performance is better than anyone in the supporting cast, and is one of the few you really seem to care about and feel for.
The film concludes with (who would have thought?) Cyrus' new song playing in the background, and although it's not The Notebook, it may be worth seeing if you're a pre-teen who desperately wants to fall in love, but is vicariously living through movie stars' romances in the meantime.
We know Cyrus is perfect for the Disney Channel and pretending to be a normal girl by day/rocker by night, but let's leave the intense acting for the big dogs on this one.
Katie Cervantes
Live OC Magazine
www.LIVEOCMAG.com
