Review of The Longest Ride (2015) by Jessica T — 09 Jul 2015

Along with Message in a Bottle and The Notebook, this is the 3rd Nicholas Sparks film that I found great and very honestly romantic unlike the other film adaptations, you name them. The special thing about The Longest Ride is not about the romance, but about how all these characters, either way past or present, understand and learn about the true of meaning of life and love.

In times like this, summer blockbusters are so popular, and the most awaited Oscar films are about to come sometime this fall, but a movie like this is a very rare thing to come. It might be one of the best love stories I've ever seen and probably many people will forget this one, but for me, it showed and opened me about how to find yourself with or without love.

The intertwining stories in this movie is the key ingredient that made it so special, without it, it would be a cheap routined usual cliched romance story. I like the lead actors here, Clint Eastwood son as Luke isn't trying to be like his father, he has his own persona of character, and Sophia as a young woman who isn't like your typical it girl, but a person who will not let go of something that is right for her or for someone whom she loves.

Of course the talented underrated actor Alan Alda whom we've seen in some films during the late 70s and 80s happens to have a memorable role here. The story is very simple but it don't really need that, all that I've seen is the progression of romance between Luke and Sophia, and how the love story of Ira and Ruth happens to reflect the young couple's future.

There is a subplot on both timeline, first on the past about the young kid whom Ruth tutors each after school, and us feeling this is the kind of a child that she wants, and the second in this present about Sophia's going to New York to pursue her career but decided at the end to stay home.

Everything on this film is very memorable, it feels an epic love story over generations of time. I wish on the next 5 to 10 years, people will still remember this movie for not what it is, for what it inspires and what it reflects.