The Longest Ride - A Movie Review

The 411 by Maria:

I watched this movie twice over the past week. It is a beautiful love story with sacrifice, challenges, differences, conflict, drama, diversity, heartbreak, and a great cast.

The two romances in this Nicholas Sparks adaptation entwine beautifully.  While our female leads love art, our male leads are on a physical path. One in the military who comes back with an injury and one is a bull rider trying to keep his family's ranch and be the best in the Country.

Our characters paths meet after a car accident. Ira is rescued by Luke (Clint Eastwood's very handsome son) and Sophia hears his request to save the box. The box is a collection of letters he wrote to his wife Ruth throughout their relationship. We learn of Ira and Ruth's storyline through the letters that Sophia reads him while he recuperates.

There are so many reasons to love this movie:

1 - Alan Alda! Need I say more? No! OK but I will anyway. Alan has a way of pulling you in. He owns you from the first moment you speak. There is still a sparkle in his eye and if you were a fan of Mash, this is still Hawkeye. You hear his voice in the moderation of his storyline and you long for a Mash marathon. 

2 - Clint Eastwood's son is ruggedly handsome and has the same smile as his dad. He is perfect as our lead cowboy and sexy male lead.

3 - Ruth played brilliantly by Spanish turned American actress Oona Chaplin (granddaughter of Charlie) She was perfect as the strong, big hearted, cultured, loving Ruth. You can see why Ira was so inspired by her. She is larger than life even when playing a school teacher who loves her students.

4 - The ending! LOVE is sacrifice and I wish we could all love with our whole hearts the way Nicholas Sparks characters do.


Greatest Quotes:

Ira:  "She had a great eye for talent, but I only had eyes for her."

"I just want you to be happy, even if that 'happy' doesn't include me anymore."

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy as a Fox Home Entertainment Insider.