The Last Song

Hot on the heels of ‘Dear John’ comes another Nicholas Sparks weepie. You know the drill: boy meets girl, while we wonder who’s going to die. But while ‘Dear John’ had capable, charismatic leads, ‘The Last Song’ stars a guy from ‘Neighbours’ (Liam Hemsworth) and Hannah Montana (aka Miley Cyrus). Hemsworth is not so bad, but Cyrus doesn’t convince, believing a toothy pout is a catch-all for any emotion but happiness. And her character pouts a lot: teenage Ronnie is sulking with her father (Greg Kinnear) while spending a summer at his beachhouse. Her parents have split, so she’s wearing a lot of black, but she starts brushing her hair when local hunk Will (Hemsworth) comes on the scene. As a chaste romance ensues, things are enlivened by 13-year-old Bobby Coleman as Ronnie’s brother: a cute, characterful kid, he’s the one who’ll get you laughing and blubbing. Anyone but Cyrus fans will find this one of the more inferior Sparks adaptations – and yes, that includes ‘Nights in Rodanthe’.