The Longest Ride 2015

    This film is based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks.  Luke is a champion bull rider and he’s been hurt before so he really shouldn’t be riding bulls.  Sophia is a college student coaxed by her friends to go to a riding completion.  She picks up Luke’s hat in the bullring and returns it to him but he says she can keep it.  They go on a date and they both have a very good time.  They see a car is on fire and has hit a road barrier.  They save an elderly man and a box of his letters from the car.  They take him to the nearest hospital and Sophia continues to visit him at his home after he is released.  Sophia and Luke try to make their relationship work but she doesn’t want him to be hurt again in the ring.  He can’t see any other life other than riding the bulls?

     Of course there is a lot of angst in this film because it’s by Nicholas Sparks!!  All the men are very handsome and all the women are very beautiful.  They all have perfect faces and hair plus there cannot one hair out of place.  Even the landscape needs to be very beautiful too!!  There cannot be any run down shacks or cars.  This film is just slightly entertaining but very predictable.  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

128 min, Drama directed by George Tillman Jr. with Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, Alan Alda, Jack Huston, Oona Chaplin, Melissa Benoist, Lolita Davidovich, Elea Oberon, Kate Forbes, Tiago Riana, Danny Vinson.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 30% critic 71% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 1 ½*, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 2541 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Winston-Salem, Wilmington, Jacksonville and Caswell Beach, North Carolina.  Scott Eastwood is the son of Clint Eastwood, Jack Huston is the grandson of John Huston and Oona Chaplin is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin.