Review of The Longest Ride (2015) by Greg B — 11 Apr 2015

"The Longest Ride" is the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation into film form. This film chronicles two separate stories in different eras, one about a North Carolina man (Alan Alda) who is conscripted into World War II and has to fight Japan, and that between the young leads Britt Robertson and Scott Eastwood.

In the contemporary setting, Scott Eastwood's character is a bull rider who falls in love with Robertson's character, a sorority girl who attends one of his fights. While both are on a date, they find Alda's car ignited into flames and save him and a box of letters he wrote to his beloved Ruth before the war.

Once Alda wakes up in the E.R., Robertson starts to read the letters to him, and the two forge an unlikely friendship. While this film is very schmaltzy and a pre-fabricated tear jerker, I found the story enlivening and affecting.

The two protagonists are scripted better than the average ones for a Nicholas Sparks film, and I felt Robertson and Eastwood did fine acting in the title roles. I thought this film was excellent overall, with the right amount of sophistication and depth to sell a compelling message.

There is a recurring motif in the film of noble sacrifice, and that is the thread that binds the two stories together. Love requires sacrifice, and the characters are able to transcend their selfish desires to make their respective relationships work.

I found that very respectable and captivating. Many critics are lambasting this movie for being too schmaltzy, but I didn't see it that way. I found it to be a film full of depth and character, and many audience members would agree with me.

I found this to be a step-up above your average tearjerker, as there is actually originality to be had in this story ------------------------------------------------------------------------ B+.