Think of Nicholas Sparks, and immediately, "mushy" and "dramatic" come to mind. His stories usually revolve around love, and the trials that a couple will have to overcome to end up together. You can probably say the same thing about The Last Song, except that this time, a family theme is more visible in the film, compared to romance.

Melissa G. Bagamasbad

In the movie, teen star Miley Cyrus plays Ronnie, a rebellious girl from New York who gets sent to Tybee, to be with her music teacher dad (Greg Kinnear) and younger brother after both her parents separated.

Don’t worry about The Last Song being doused with drama. There are plenty of light moments, mostly provided by Ronnie’s little brother, Jonah (Bobby Coleman). You might think of him as the pesky sibling at first, but his one-liners and undeniable sweetness (e.g. making sure his ate goes to her boyfriend’s wedding with a nice dress to wear, even lending his savings because he wouldn’t want her to look bad) are memorable and laugh-out-loud.

The romantic moments between Ronnie and boyfriend Will (Liam Hemsworth), are guaranteed kilig, with the “perfect" guy choosing the unlikely, rebellious girl over the others. (Their water hose scene, involving a topless Will, will make you instant Liam fans!)



The Last Song starts out as family-centric, then love-centric, then goes back to family. If there’s something to improve on, it's how the plot lines were presented, as it would have probably been better if the minor characters' development were edited out to focus on the main story.

You may be wondering why it’s titled “The Last Song." I won’t spoil it for you, but music figures prominently in the film (thus, a recognized young singer in the lead!) and is one of the touching connectors between a father and daughter who were once estranged by distance.

And of course, this flick belongs to Miley Cyrus. With her Disney background, and at 17 years old, you might doubt her capacity to pull off heavy film material. But Cyrus delivers, and her performance is tough and not over the top; she also lends her musical prowess (piano and voice) in the parts that needed it most.

To wrap it up: for the lovable characters, humor, and romance, as well as lessons to be learned (and you might even end up buying the soundtrack), I'd say this flick is recommendable.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY STUDIOS