Given the popularity of texting and Tinder in today’s digital age, it’s more than easy to lose faith in the possibility of a traditional love story — in fact, it’s expected that we believe that love letters and courtships are a thing of the past.
However, in “The Longest Ride,” Nicholas Sparks’ latest book-to-movie adaptation, Sparks manages to give us the hope that chivalry is still alive and well in modern romance.
Scott Eastwood, son of iconic Western film star Clint Eastwood, takes a walk in his father’s cowboy boots to play Luke, a handsome bull rider determined to make a comeback following a serious injury in the ring. Cue Sophia, a pretty, second-semester senior ready to begin a prestigious art internship, who’s played by upcoming star of Disney’s “Tomorrowland,” Britt Robertson. Dragged to a bull riding competition by her sorority sister, Sophia catches Luke’s eye (and hat) and the two share instant chemistry.
So what’s the problem (besides the fact that Sophia’s internship is probably unpaid)? It’s located in New York, far from Luke’s simple but dangerous world of bull riding as one of America’s last true cowboys. Vanessa Carlton wouldn’t even walk that far.
Though “The Longest Ride”’s movie poster features the lead actors staring into each others eyes, resembling posters of previous Sparks adaptations like “Safe Haven” and “The Last Song,” this latest movie has quite a different structure; it features a second couple. George Tillman, Jr., the film’s director, expertly shifts between the frame story of Luke and Sophia and a second, older tale of love set in the 1940s.
Similar to “The Notebook”’s method of shifting between past and present, Tillman moves through time using the love letters of Ira (Alan Alda), a 91-year-old man whom Luke saves from a car accident. Ira, whose wife Ruth has since passed away, becomes close with Sophia, and guides her with his own love story set in a small Jewish community in North Carolina.
Jack Huston (“Boardwalk Empire”) and Oona Chaplin (“Game of Thrones”) play Young Ira and Young Ruth respectively, and threaten to steal the show; Chaplin’s bubbly energy quickly persuades the audience to fall in love with her, while Huston’s restraint provides contrast and balances their onscreen relationship.
When asked at a press conference held with the stars of the film about his first time including two couples in a novel and the parallel structures of the relationships, Sparks explained, “You want to make each story stand on its own.” He contrasted the two narratives by portraying Luke and Sophia’s romance in the “short-term” and Ira and Ruth’s in the “long-term,” over the expanse of their lives together.
Not only does “The Longest Ride” promise to propel several acting careers to heights, but it also thrills audiences during kinetic bull riding scenes made more intense by skilled cinematography. Director of Photography David Tattersall, who worked on “Star Wars” Episodes I-III, added excitement to the high-energy bull scenes by using numerous camera angles and special high-speed cameras to capture more completely, the energy inherent.
In fact, Luke’s bull riding opens the movie, jolting audiences with an insane adrenaline rush. Every ripple of the bull’s muscle is visible — I held my breath each time, hoping that the bull rider would escape without getting hurt, especially since real bull riders perform many of the stunts. There are also war sequences during young Ira’s time, which provide enough action to please male moviegoers.
However, there is no mistaking that this film targets women craving drama and romance. Sophia’s modern story helps women, especially those in college, to connect more easily to the film. The dialogue between Sophia and Luke sometimes verges on small talk, such as when they compare their favorite comfort foods. Though this type of conversation is not prevalent in movies on wide release, it strengthened the connection I had to the characters because it made them more approachable and relatable.
One moment in “The Longest Ride” that took me out of its spell occurred during a wonderfully suggestive scene when the hunky Luke shows an inexperienced Sophia how to ride a horse. The intent of the music seems to be subliminally messaging the audience into delighting in the moment, only it’s done a little too heavy-handedly; the amount of times the word “desire” was chanted made the scene a little uncomfortable to sit through.
Overall, Sparks and Tillman created two romances centered on sacrifice, with many lessons that audiences can take away and use to think about their own love lives. The actors didn’t escape untouched by the film’s core messages either.
[quote_colored name=”” icon_quote=”no”]“Personally, I actually learned a lot about love. [The film] made me want to work harder in my own relationships,” Robertson said at the press conference.[/quote_colored]
Besides sacrifice, the film brings up questions of the role of masculinity in modern relationships. Luke, who is very “traditional,” insists on calling Sophia first and always seems to be driving. When he gets hurt, he has trouble accepting help from Sophia, who noticeably drives for the first time in the movie. Similarly, young Ira must question what it means to be a man when dealing with infertility issues.
“The Longest Ride” raised questions for me as well, as to whether such epic romances are possible given the state of today’s relationships. When asked about the role chivalry plays in modern love, Sparks was resolute.
“If you’re going to go out with someone, you better treat them with respect. Chivalry is just respect … As a dad, I do it, and my kids better do it.” Sparks has two daughters and three sons.
Though attaining a romance as passionate and timeless as Ira and Ruth’s or Luke and Sophia’s might be a little unrealistic, their stories have elements of honesty and imperfection that you can emotionally invest in. Tillman’s focus on character development gives us personalities we can connect with, and, in turn, a movie that lets us escape and simply enjoy some good love stories.
Someone asked me if this movie was boyfriend material. Let’s just say if “The Longest Ride” were a man, I’d introduce him to my parents and start planning the upcoming nuptials.
-Shalina Grover, Contributing Writer
