At one point in the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Longest Ride, a character says out loud, “we’re from such different worlds.” This is an underlying assumption in the world of romantic films. People are rarely just people in these films; they are often complete opposites contrived to meet and fall in love, only to be broken apart when they come to their senses and realize that they don’t actually have anything in common. The Longest Ride, in a fit of laziness, actually has a character say it out loud. The film runs through the gamut of Sparks’ clichés, and emerges a terribly empty piece of romantic filmmaking.
One year ago, professional bull rider Luke (Scott Eastwood) got very hurt during a competition. Now, he’s trying to work his back up the world rankings. He meets college girl Sophia (Britt Robinson) at a rodeo, and the two hit it off despite being from such different worlds, as she says. On the way home from their first date, they pull an elderly man out of a burning car and save his life. This man, Ira (Alan Alda), forms a bond with Sophia and tells her the story of his younger self (Jack Huston) and his romance with his wife Ruth (Oona Chaplin).
Of course we are meant to draw parallels between the two couples, and Sophia and Luke are supposed to learn something from the story of the older couple. The theme, in theory, is that love requires sacrifice and compromise; that being with someone can be a struggle sometimes, but it is all worth it in the end. This idea would far more compelling if the film gave more emphasis to the struggle. There isn’t really much in the way of meaningful conflict in this story, the characters lacking the emotional complexity to turn any of these minor issues into anything interesting.
To be with Luke, Sophia must consider giving up an internship in New York. This might seem important, but she actually starts out the film talking about how the job isn’t actually a big deal. And so when she is confronted with this choice later in the film, it doesn’t seem like a big deal at all. To be with Sophia, Luke must contemplate giving up bull riding. This might also seem like a difficult decision, except Luke doesn’t even seem all that happy to be bull riding. He says at one point, “this is all I know,” but that’s a ludicrous thing to say. If bull riding is indeed the only thing he knows, then he just isn’t a very interesting person.
The parallel storylines only create an excess of plot and extend the runtime beyond what is reasonable. There are a few sweet moments here and there, buoyed largely the more than competent acting. But overall, it all just feels like more of the same. Nice people fall in love. There is the specter of conflict, but it never really blooms into anything worth exploring. It doesn’t feel like love has triumphed over anything, because there was never really anything in the way.
Maybe the reason it feels like The Longest Ride is because nothing actually happens. As these are Nicholas Sparks characters, these are people waiting for tragedy to bring them together. The choices are right in front of them, and it never really seems all that difficult. But they are from such different worlds, as the movie insists. And though the worlds don’t really seem all that far apart, the characters linger on the border for far too long, idling as the next contrivance drives down another gorgeous North Carolina vista.
My Rating:
