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DIRECTED BY: George Tillman, Jr.
STARRING: Britt Robertson as Sophia Danko, Scott Eastwood as Luke Collins, Oona Chaplin as young Ruth Levinson, Jack Huston as young Ira Levinson, and Alan Alda as old Ira Levinson.
RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2015
RUNNING TIME: 128 minutes
GENRE: American romantic drama
Caught between our passion for something and someone, making the untimely decision of choosing between one or the other is grueling. But, when we are on the verge of risking our life to have both, does the choice become any easier?
RATED PG-13:
In the movie, The Longest Ride, originally written by Nicholas Sparks, we look into the lives of Luke Collins and Sophia Danko. These two people meet by happenstance and are then thrown into a world filled with making tough sacrifices. This movie takes place in modern-day North Carolina, in both the rodeo and college scene. The differences between these worlds brings a type of challenge that can make any movie-goer laugh tremendously, cry hysterically, and understand completely that nothing can stop fate from bringing two (four, actually!) people together.
Attending a North Carolina college on a full scholarship, New Jersey native, Sophia Danko, is a studious art history student among her cheery group of sorority sisters. Not knowing what she is getting herself into when she agrees to go to the rodeo, she meets bull rider, Luke Collins, who is attempting to make a comeback after a tragic accident the year prior. As the two begin a courtship, they realize that their futures are heading down completely different paths, which causes them to hesitate on beginning any further kind of relationship. However, this all changes when crazy circumstances lead them to meet Ira Levinson.
As Luke and Sophia get to know an aging Ira, they realize that they can learn life-long lessons from the relationship between Ira and his beloved wife, Ruth. From this moment on, it becomes evident that although many years separate these two couples, the struggles they go through are one and the same.
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From the first few intense scenes of this film, I was hooked. I had little knowledge of bull riding, so it was interesting to immerse myself in that world, even for just a few hours! But what really caught me by surprise was that not only was there romance and drama, there was a long list of memorable comedic moments. From personal movie-watching experience, I’ve never heard so many people gasp and laugh so hard in just a matter of seconds! At the least moment you expect it, you’ll find yourself gasping and laughing too! Also, like any of Nicholas Sparks’ works, it wouldn’t be complete without those gut-wrenching scenes! And trust me, there were a lot in The Longest Ride. It was hard to predict what would happen next and that is easily an aspect I’ve grown to love.
Of the handful Nicholas Sparks movies, The Longest Ride stood out in the way that I left the theater feeling settled and touched. There were not any unanswered questions because the movie came full-circle. The parallels between Luke & Sophia and Ira & Ruth were intentional and meant to be pointed out by the audience. For that reason, I believe that The Longest Ride is up to par with a Sparks classic such as A Walk to Remember!
Overall, The Longest Ride is a movie that will surely entertain you with its hidden gems and noteworthy ability to make you feel a wide spectrum of emotions. Forget your “The Notebook notion” of what a romantic movie is supposed to be because this one may just surprise you in the best way possible!
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Themes we can take from The Longest Ride:
- Have dreams, goals, and ambitions you can hold on to. You can be anything you want to be as long as you stand by that belief!
- It takes losing and gaining everything to truly appreciate what is right in front of you.
- The short-term things in life must not get in the way of the what can be yours forever.
- Working hard and putting effort into your actions makes all the difference.
- Take chances because you never know where you will end up!
- It is the hardest decisions that will truly make everything worth your while.
“When it comes to life, we spin our own yarn, and where we end up is really, in fact, where we always intended to be.” – Julia Glass
Best wishes,
Kandace 🙂