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A teenaged musical prodigy has fallen out with her Dad/mentor and in to petty crime. Can she rediscover herself and find true love over one life-changing summer?
Starring Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, Bobby Coleman, Kelly Preston, Greg Kinnear
Written by Nicholas Sparks, Jeff Van Wie
Produced by Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot
Duration 107 minutes
Presenting THE LAST SONG: myths vs reality.
Myth: The couples in movies adapted from Nicholas Sparks novels are not together in real life.
Reality: Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus began a relationship during the filming of THE LAST SONG, and were then on-again-off-again before getting married in 2018. Sadly, that turned out to be the beginning of the end, instead of a Sparks-style happily ever after, and they signed divorce papers in 2020.
Meanwhile, Canadian royalty Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams fell in love on the set of Sparks urtext THE NOTEBOOK (2004), as did Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling while filming THE LUCKY ONE (2012).
Myth: These Nicholas Sparks stories are all the same.
Reality: I've never read a Nicholas Sparks book and can't envision a scenario in which I would. This is only the second of the movie adaptations I've seen, having watched THE NOTEBOOK with an ex-girlfriend (guess whose choice it was on that movie night).
The Sparks properties certainly look identical, if you judge by the posters: young man, young woman, facing each other in a loving embrace or near-embrace, possibly with a sun setting in the background. But I'm sure across however many there have been there's at least some variety in ... holy crap, the guy's had 12 novels adapted for the screen! He's like the 21st Century's John Grisham, only with fewer courtrooms and far more staring dolefully into each other's eyes.
Myth: A wayward kid coming to a new town is an original setup for a coming of age story.
Reality: I thought at first that the relocation scenario in this movie was a permanent one, a la Daniel LaRusso moving to California from New Jersey in THE KARATE KID. But actually in THE LAST SONG the mum is just bringing these city kids to spend summer at the coast with their dad, many years since divorced.
There's talk in the car of how Miley's character Ronnie was arrested for shoplifting, and she then refuses to embrace or even talk to the old man upon arriving at his beach house. There's resentment simmering there, I tells ya.
She's troubled, but also talented, recently getting into Juliard with no audition. "They've been watching her for years," apparently. (Bit creepy.) But she now doesn't play anymore – and her dad is a former concert pianist, to boot.
Ronnie's kind of a goth; no black makeup or piercings, but she definitely had the sour face and dark clothing.
The obligatory meet-cute, meanwhile, goes for the NOTTING HILL collision-with-spilled-drink approach, this time on the beach with added humiliation in front of a crowd and the male minus his shirt (that'd be Hemsworth).
Myth: Liam is the most obscure of the Hemsworth siblings.
Reality: When compared to older brother Chris, of course he is. Liam's THE EXPENDABLES 2, the HUNGER GAMES series and, er, INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE are no match for Chris having been a central figure in the whole Marvel thing, not to mention working with Michael Mann (BLACKHAT) and Ron Howard (RUSH, IN THE HEART OF THE SEA) and getting his own action franchise with Netflix's EXTRACTION.
(Liam actually tested for the role of Thor before losing it to Chris, and had to then watch his bro's career skyrocket. Bet Christmas dinner was fun that year!)
But actually, there is a third acting Hemsworth: oldest brother Luke, best (only?) known for confusing sci-fi saga Westworld. Sorry, Luke – you probably got the biggest bedroom growing up, if that's any consolation.
Myth: Star vehicles that try to make actors out of singers are never a good idea.
Reality: Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes they end up as legit actors, sometimes it remains a one-off gimmick. For every Lady Gaga or Ice Cube, there's a Britney Spears or an Eminem who never really make the transition.
And then there are people like Justin Timberlake and Mandy Moore who seem to straddle both disciplines equally. I guess you would put Miley Cyrus into that category, even if the acting has been a little thin on the ground recently.
Myth: Art doesn't imitate life in the plot of THE LAST SONG.
Reality: I mean, there's the musical stuff, of course, and like Ronnie, Miley has a musician Dad (I've only ever heard that 'Achy Breaky Heart' song, but apparently Billy Ray Cyrus was a pretty big deal at one point). Plus Miley had her own rebellious period: that whole 'Wreaking Ball', sticking her tongue out at every opportunity phase.
Must have been almost as much of a struggle for her to get into character as it was for Marshall Mathers in 8 MILE.
Myth: A screenplay comes after the novel and never before.
Realty: This is a rare example of the film being written before the book, Sparks himself getting co-screen credit with Jeff Van Wie. See also LOVE STORY, CASINO and DANCES WITH WOLVES.
Not to be confused with those movie novelisations that were popular in the '80s and '90s – such as ones by titan of the form Dennis Etchison, under the psydenom 'Jack Martin', which included HALLOWEEN II, HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH and VIDEODROME.
Myth: Not every now-famous Australian actor appeared in either Neighbours or Home and Away.
Reality: True, but there was Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Radha Mitchell, Alan Dale and Holly Valance (Neighbours); as well as Heath Ledger, Isla Fisher, Melissa George, Julian McMahon, Guy Pearce (again) and Samara Weaving (Home and Away).
As for the Hemsworth boys, their scores are Neighbours: Chris and Luke; both Home and Away and Neighbours: Liam.
Meanwhile, Ms Cyrus is part of a similar trend: former Disney Channel stars. For her Hannah Montana, also see Zendaya (Shake It Up), Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire), Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance), Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place), Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) and Lord knows how many others.
Suffice it to say, I'd barely ever heard of those shows, never mind sat through an actual episode. But I did use to watch Neighbours every weekday, until graduation and full-time employment made that impractical.
Myth: THE LAST SONG is a pretty by-the-numbers teen romance that passes the time if you like that sort of thing, but is going to be a bit of a slog to get through if you don't.
Reality: Yeah, that's basically spot-on.
Two stars out of five.
Valid use of the
word ‘last’? There is a last song, but it isn't
going to be the last one for our troubled teen. Should have gone for
that indefinite article, guys.
What would a movie called THE FIRST SONG be about? "The
'Hurrian Hymn' is the earliest known song to be recorded in writing, dating to
around the 13th Century. The text of this hymn is concerned with the promotion
of fertility. It refers to the making of offerings and libations to the moon
goddess, Nikkal." So says The Institute for the Study of the Ancient
World.
Previously: WRONG TURN 6: LAST RESORT
Next time: LAST CALL
Check out my books: Jonathanlastauthor.com
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