Novelist
Sparks
turns
screenwriter
with
this
film,
which
combines
his
usual
themes
(beaches,
grieving
teens,
cancer)
as
a
vehicle
for
Miley
Cyrus
to
put
her
childhood
career
behind
her.
It's
exactly
what
we
expect,
but
it's
also
fairly
watchable.
The
summer
after
her
high
school
graduation,
rebellious
Ronnie
(Cyrus)
and
her
precocious
little
brother
Jonah
(Coleman)
are
driven
by
their
mum
(Preston)
from
New
York
to
the
Georgia
coast
to
stay
with
their
estranged
father
(Kinnear).
After
sulking
around
in
a
huff,
Ronnie
starts
to
soften
a
bit,
befriending
shirtless
volleyball
hunk
Will
(Hemsworth).
And
as
their
romance
grows,
she
starts
warming
up
to
her
dad
as
well.
But
dark
rumours,
Will's
snobby
parents
(Vernon
and
Searcy)
and
Ronnie's
troubled
friend
Blaze
(Chaikin)
create
various
problems,
as
does
the
dreaded
C-word.
At
the
centre
of
the
plot
is
the
question
of
whether
Ronnie
will
return
to
playing
the
piano
after
seven
years
of
moping.
It's
not
terribly
difficult
to
guess,
especially
since
we
learn
that
she
was
such
a
child
prodigy
that
she's
been
accepted
to
Julliard
without
even
auditioning.
Not
to
mention
the
fact
that
her
dad
is
writing
one
last
song
for
her
to
play.
As
the
weepy
violins
start
surging
on
the
soundtrack,
you
don't
even
need
to
have
seen
another
Sparks" adaptation
to
know
where
this
is
heading.
Although
the
character
probably
wasn't
much
of
a
stretch,
Cyrus
gives
a
remarkably
good
performance
as
a
young
woman
who
isn't
always
very
likeable.
In
fact,
she's
so
stroppy
that
we
wonder
how
Will
puts
up
with
her,
so
it's
fortunate
that
Hemsworth
delivers
such
a
one-note
performance:
a
nice
guy
who
falls
madly
in
love
without
really
looking
beneath
the
surface
(beyond
"you're
not
like
all
the
other
girls").
This
isn't
necessarily
Hemsworth's
fault
as
the
script
and
direction
are
perfunctory
at
best,
with
a
bland
style
that
lacks
much
momentum,
although
pre-teen
girls
won't
notice
with
all
the
dreamy
kissing,
plus
a
dress-up
montage
and
even
a
wacky
mud
fight.
For
the
rest
of
us,
it
helps
that
Kinnear
gives
another
lovely,
transparent
performance
that
grounds
the
otherwise
smiley-weepy
tone
in
reality.
Director:
Julie
Anne
Robinson
Cast:
Miley
Cyrus,
Greg
Kinnear,
Bobby
Coleman,
Liam
Hemsworth,
Hallock
Beals,
Kelly
Preston,
Nick
Lashaway,
Carly
Chaikin,
Kate
Vernon,
Melissa
Ordway,
Nick
Searcy