"The Last Song" - in theaters

I'm not going to lie.

I was REALLY excited about seeing this movie. Like... for MONTHS. When I first saw the preview, back in November or December, I got jacked up. And here's why: I love Miley Cyrus. I'm not the biggest fan of Hannah Montana (although I saw that movie in theaters [again, not going to lie]), but I love Miley's music. And I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm also a closet Nicholas Sparks fan. I enjoy all of the movies based upon his books. I was so excited for this movie that I went out and bought the book a few months ago. And read it in 3 days. Pathetic, I know. But I can't help myself. It's like emotional cocaine.

My friend Meghan was also pumped about this movie, so of course we HAD to go opening night.

I reviewed "Dear John" as one of my first posts, and in that I described what to expect from a Nicholas Sparks' film. The same formula applies here. Plus, since I had the novel, I already knew what was going to happen. And I still cried like a little girl...

Needless to say, Miley, and Nicholas Sparks, did not disappoint.

Anyway, the story revolves around this girl named Ronnie (short for Veronica), whose mother (played by Kelly Preston) ships her and her 10 year old brother down to their estranged father's for the summer. At first, Ronnie is all angsty and rebellious, but soon meets Will, a good-hearted Southern gentleman who sweeps Ronnie off her feet. Before you know it, they're in love, and Ronnie and her father suddenly get along. There's an entire subplot about arson and a church, but it wasn't developed well in the film. For the better story on that end, read the novel. But even then, it's not really a good storyline. There is also a subplot of Ronnie getting arrested for shoplifting back in New York City, and then gets framed for it in her dad's town, but again, it wasn't well developed for the screen. This movie was primarily a love story between Ronnie and Will, and a bonding story for Ronnie and her father.

Greg Kinnear plays the dad, and I liked him in the role. In the book, Steve (the dad) is really mellow and Kinnear really stepped into the groove of that. Jonah, Ronnie's 10-year old brother (played by Bobby Coleman), was absolutely adorable in this film, and was easily my favorite character.

And then there's Ronnie (Cyrus) and Will (Liam Hemsworth). Miley did an okay job at Ronnie. Ronnie herself goes through a lot of changes, and though Cyrus lacks some acting finesse, she did a credible job of riding the emotional rollercoaster. Hemsworth was pretty charming, and often shirtless, but for being a good ol' Southern boy, he certainly lacked the accent. He spoke as if he was from Wisconsin. I can forgive him for that, because he's Australian and hell, probably just doing the American accent is tough enough. But he was charming, and had great chemistry with Cyrus. It's easy to see how they're an offscreen couple as well.

So, on the CWeave scale of 1 to 10, I give this a 7. It gets a rating boost because I'm an emotional sap and will cry at just about anything, not to mention that the love story is so sweet it might even give you a cavity. All in all, a great time at the movies.