As a faithful Nicholas Sparks fan, I’m always excited to see his films, not only to compare the novel to the story on screen, but because I’m just a sucker for a good chick flick. His films have become more frequent with Oct. 2014’s “The Best of Me,” and his latest, which was released earlier this month, “The Longest Ride.”
Starring the handsome Scott Eastwood and lovely Britt Robertson, the film follows two couples from different time periods whose stories come together by an act of fate. Luke is a country boy to the core, living the rodeo circuit life, who meets Sophia, who is unlike any other girl he’s ever known, being that she’s from the city and an art major.
But, it’s about more than just their love story and chance meeting, as the pair comes across an accident one evening. They meet an old man, by the name of Ira Levinson, who is stranded in his car, which has caught on fire. As Luke saves Ira, Sophia grabs a box of letters in the passenger’s seat that unlocks the true heart of the story. Sophia strikes up a friendship with the wise old man, and through flashbacks, we see the way he met the love of his life, Ruth, and the timeless tales, like “love requires sacrifice…always” and that it is not always “happily ever after” but learning to work with what you have.
The movie jumps back and forth between the 1900s and today, but transitions smoothly and ties together both stories of the Levinsons, Luke and Sophia. The chemistry between Eastwood and Britt Robertson’s characters is undeniable from the awkward first date moments to learning each other’s quirks as the relationship progresses and was also due to the romance being more believable. Jack Huston and Oona Chaplin also do a fantastic job of portraying young Ira and Ruth, as they give us a sense of what true love should.
“The Longest Ride” isn’t overly cheesy with its romantic gestures but has an old school vibe with a modern fairytale twist. Although, the sex scenes were a bit much for my taste.
While it still follows the typical formula that Sparks has conjured up over the years – boy meets girl, the two are from very different worlds. And though, they face a challenge that is bigger than both of them, it seems to be much more realistic. Do you choose the dream you’ve been working for your entire life or risk losing the love of your life, who came unexpectedly?
Everyone always anticipates and compares each film to his box office hit, “The Notebook.” If there was one that could measure up or have the same essence, I think this could be it.
What I love about these particular chick flicks is that there is rarely a happy ending, but more of a silver lining in the tragedy that occurred. There’s usually a valuable lesson that was learned along the way and goes to show that it wasn’t in vain. “The Longest Ride” is no different.
Being a country girl at heart, I adored the movie and think there’s something in it for everyone, even if you aren’t a Nicholas Sparks fan.Movie
