The Last Song (2010)
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A rebellious teenager reconnects with her estranged father and finds unexpected love during a summer in a Southern beach town.
The story
Following her parents’ divorce three years ago, 17-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller has shown rebellious and defiant behavior. She has not spoken to her father, Steve, since the divorce, and has given up playing piano, which she loved since childhood because of her father’s influence. Ronnie and her younger brother, Jonah, travel to Georgia to spend the summer with their father, a former Juilliard professor and concert pianist who now lives quietly in his hometown of Wrightsville Beach. Upon arrival, Ronnie befriends Blaze, an outcast who lives with her boyfriend Marcus. Later, Ronnie discovers a loggerhead sea turtle nest by her dad's house and meets Will Blakelee, a charming and popular aquarium volunteer.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following her parents’ divorce three years ago, 17-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller has shown rebellious and defiant behavior. She has not spoken to her father, Steve, since the divorce, and has given up playing piano. Ronnie and her younger brother, Jonah, travel to Georgia to spend the summer with their father, a former Juilliard professor and concert pianist who now lives in Wrightsville Beach. Upon arrival, Ronnie befriends Blaze, an outcast who lives with her boyfriend Marcus. After Marcus makes advances towards Ronnie, Blaze frames her for shoplifting. Ronnie later meets Will Blakelee, a popular aquarium volunteer, while protecting a loggerhead sea turtle nest. After spending a night defending the eggs together, she finds herself intrigued by him. Will takes Ronnie to the aquarium and his gated mansion, where they profess their mutual love. However, Ronnie overhears locals discussing a church fire that Steve was blamed for. While watching the turtle eggs hatch, Steve collapses and is diagnosed with terminal cancer. As his health progresses, he requests hospice. Scott and Will eventually confess to Steve that they accidentally ignited the church fire and allowed him to take the blame. Ronnie breaks up with Will, horrified by the truth. Ronnie stays in Georgia to care for Steve, working on a composition he wrote for her. He dies as she finishes playing it. At his funeral, Ronnie plays their song. Later, she sees Will again; he reveals his intention to transfer to Columbia University to be with her, and they kiss.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Julie Anne Robinson
- Writers
- Nicholas Sparks · screenplay; Jeff Van Wie · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Miley Cyrus · Veronica "Ronnie" L. Miller; Liam Hemsworth · Will Blakelee; Greg Kinnear · Steve Miller; Kelly Preston · Kim Miller; Bobby Coleman · Jonah Miller; Nick Lashaway · Marcus; Carly Chaikin · Blaze; Adam Barnett · Teddy
- Genres
- coming-of-age; teen romantic drama
- Themes
- reconciliation; terminal illness; coming-of-age; guilt
- Tone and mood
- romantic; melancholic; sentimental
- Premise and plot tags
- beach town; summer vacation; father-daughter relationship; terminal illness
- Source material / true-story basis
- Nicholas Sparks' 2009 novel
- Content notes
- underaged drinking; infidelity; terminal illness
- Reception
- The film received unfavorable reviews from critics, who criticized the script and Miley Cyrus' performance, but it was a box office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 22% · scale: approval rating · review count: 120
- Production trivia
- The film was the first movie to be both filmed and set on Tybee Island.; The setting was originally in North Carolina like the novel but was relocated to Georgia.; Cyrus chose the name "Ronnie" for her character in honor of her grandfather, Ron Cyrus.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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