The Last Song

The Last Song couldn't be more formulaic but it really shows what you can do when you do everything, and I mean everything, right.

I have heard bad reviews. I have read about how formulaic Nicholas Sparks is. I really disliked Miley. I felt slightly better about her after being forced to watch her for 2 hours.

But everything came together in this film and made it work. Liam Hemsworth was endearing. The setting was gorgeous and made me feel that I should stay there for an extended period of time. Apparently states campaigned to host the production! The soundtrack was really amazing (and if someone else had sang The Last Song I would've loved it). I could relate to certain aspects, like volleyball, love of marine life, music (especially the piano-playing) and literature. The soundtrack was really summer-y. The dialogue made me laugh out loud at some parts. I could see most of the setup and payoffs from miles away but it was still satisfying, possibly because it was rather well put-together.

There were bits that were fairytale-like. You would totally be thinking: this would not fucking happen in real life. Sparks litters the film with juvenile angst, sickness, sibling's death and imperfections of like, 10 minor characters (Will's father, Will's mother, the person-playing-with-fire, the person-playing-with-fire's girlfriend, Will's ex-girlfriend), just to balance out the sappy stuff.

It wasn't "natural" because I could see the movie's "craftsmanship". It was obvious certain bits served certain functions.

It was slightly contrived but I guess we all want something larger-than-life when we watch a movie.

So yes, surprisingly, it wasn't bad. It was worth my 6 dollars. I liked it and I might, gasp, even watch it again.