Don't Let the Rating Fool You

Rating: 5/10 (11 July 2011)

I watched The Last Song with very low expectations given its low rating and walked away pleasantly surprised.
First, the bad points. It's not that great of a film and isn't very memorable; it certainly could have been much better (particularly the pacing, which was slow for the first half and rushed in the second), Miley Cyrus's acting left a lot to be desired for, and the love story itself was rather bland. The overall story at times felt aimless where the only way to move the plot was to add some random surprise, which I think is a sign of poor screenplay.
Despite all of this, the film holds its own and if it weren't for the hate Miley Cyrus receives, I would expect the film would otherwise be somewhere in the 5-range; at least a full point above what it's currently rated as. I was able to identify with the characters, particularly Greg Kinnear's character. I felt the story between Miley Cyrus's and Greg Kinnear's character was rather intriguing and the moral derived from it inspiring (but again, could have been done better, but it's enjoyable enough on its own).
The film itself is okay and worth watching if you have the time and enjoy these types of films.