By the Time You Start to Care About the Characters, It's Much Too Late

Rating: 3/10 (1 October 2010)

This movie may as well go down as one of the worst films of 2010. The Last Song features Miley Cyrus in an uneven and whiny performance as a teenage girl experiencing the love of her life during the summer. There is also a church fire, a pyromaniac, family problems, and other things which you probably should but won't care about. Cyrus does have fantastic chemistry with her co-star Liam Hemsworth, but the movie's pluses truly end there. Characters and plot-lines seem to be pulled randomly out of a hat, and scenes which should be emotionally powerful are paired with conflicting music. The scenes between Ronnie and her father are particularly manipulative and forced. Ronnie and Will seem to be on and off, seeing as they are constantly arguing and apologizing instead of having their relationship develop. It is never said why Ronnie (Cyrus) is in love with Will (Hemsworth). The last third saves the film from receiving a 2, but doesn't save the film as a whole. Ronnie is supposed to be unlikable, but you are eventually supposed to feel for her as well. The supporting characters are supposed to be just as interesting as Ronnie, but aren't developed at all. The film is very superficial, underdeveloped, and empty, and fans of the surprisingly well-crafted novel will be disappointed.