The Last Song: Heartbreakingly Sad, But Nothing Like the Book

Some will come out of the movie The Last Song with tears in their eyes. Actually, most will come out with tears in their eyes. The movie is filled with raw emotion that anyone can relate to; love, heartache, grief. It is a true beauty that conveys a great deal of feeling through some really wonderful scenes. I definitely enjoyed it...but it didn't live up to the book. Yes, most movies don't, but I felt particularly upset at the removal of three pieces of the book that were key.

Firstly, the movie showed that Ronnie's father loved his church, but gave nothing about his relationship with the book character Pastor Harris. In my opinion, the scenes with Pastor Harris are essential. They reveal character. Without them, Ronnie's father seemed a static man whose simplicity was just a bit too simple. In addition, they are important to Ronnie's evolving and growing opinion of her father. I felt strange about both characters because of this. They felt removed and very different from the way I viewed them interacting.

Secondly, the movie did not develop the other characters at all. Will almost randomly told Ronnie about Mikey's death. Blaze never corrected Ronnie to say she was using the name Galadriel. Ronnie never discovered the truth about her parents' divorce. They all seemed out of place. Most importantly though, Ronnie and her father never had some of the intricate dialogues that shaped their relationship at the end of the book.

Lastly, Ronnie's father never constructed a barrier to hide the piano from his daughter, and Ronnie was all too eager to play. This was a major shift from the angry girl at the start of the film, but there was simply no transition to the sweeter Ronnie who eventually finishes her father's song.

All in all, the movie was enjoyable and had the audience bawling, but it was certainly disappointing to those who read and loved the book.