There’s a certain care package that a girl receives when going through a breakup: ice cream, wine, and a Nicholas Sparks movie. Something about that combination (with the addition of a best pal or two) really seems to take the edge off the heartbreak. While most people tend to lean toward the Gosling-and-McAdams pairing of The Notebook, my vote is always for The Last Song. It’s just so vastly underrated, and it’s still as romantic and depressing as any of Sparks’ other books-turned-novels. In The Last Song, Miley Cyrus stars as Ronnie, a piano prodigy who gave up her instrument when her father (also her piano teacher, played by Greg Kinnear) left the family.
When she’s forced to spend a summer when she and her younger brother, it doesn’t go all that smoothly. Luckily, Ronnie meets Will (played by Gale, I mean Liam Hemsworth), and of course they fall in love over the course of the season and learn all kinds of wonderful, coming-of-age things about themselves and each other and everything is mostly great. I won’t spoil the whole movie for you — you should watch it. In honor of its fifth anniversary, I am declaring that The Last Song is the best Nicholas Sparks movie ever (forget about that Taylor Schilling/Zac Efron drivel The Lucky One), and here are some reasons why.
It’s The Beginning Of Miley & Liam
So obviously, Cyrus and Hemsworth’s relationship didn’t work out, but in this movie, we can think back to a time when Cyrus’s hair was lush, long, and loosely braided, and Hemsworth wasn’t yet forced to watch his best friend fight to the death in front of their whole country. You may forget, but Cyrus and Hemsworth were one of “the” couples of the late 2000s, and her engagement ring was completely to die for. This is the movie where they met and that all started. The two split in 2013, but hey, we got “Wrecking Ball” out of it, so that’s fine.
There Are So Many Sea Turtles
Is there a water-loving creature that’s as majestic and emotionally jarring as the sea turtle? Absolutely not. A whole subplot of The Last Song involves Ronnie and Will babysitting nests of hatching sea turtle eggs, as Will’s character works at an aquarium. Even if you don’t love Cyrus, do it for the turtles, guys.
It Showcases Miley Not As Hannah Montana
We’ve had a Miley Cyrus thrusting into cameras and riding construction equipment naked for a few years now, but when The Last Song came out, she hadn’t done anything save for Hannah Montana. Fresh off her very hit show, Cyrus was looking for a stepping-stone into an adult career, and she and her people chose The Last Song. Her career looks a little different now, but this movie was her first step toward teddy bear onesies and that tongue thing. Plus, it also reminded us she could saaaang.
Greg Kinnear Stars In It
Greg Kinnear is a national treasure. From As Good As It Get and Baby Mama to Little Miss Sunshine and Loser (remember that post-American Pie Jason Biggs flick?), he’s good in everything he does. Don’t like Miley Cyrus? You should show Greg Kinnear some respect and watch The Last Song just because he deigned to grace the film with his presence.
You Need A Good Cry
Like I said before, Nicholas Sparks movies are best watched when super depressed. Why? Because you need a good cry. Crying gets out all of those stuck emotions, and goshdarnit, it just feels good to cry sometimes. Unless you’re a robot, you will cry during The Last Song. Just queue it up on your Netflix and let the tears flow.
Have I convinced you yet that The Last Song is the foremost in Nicholas Sparks-adapted feature films? I haven’t steered you wrong yet.
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