I Think I've Seen This Movie Before....

Last week, Nicholas Sparks' latest novel turned movie, The Last Song, premiered, reeling in big bucks for its opening weekend. It stars former Disney tween star Miley Cyrus in her first real movie role drawing in even more fans (or haters) who want to see what kind of talent she has really got. While Sparks' latest romantic film goes along the same premise as all of his other films, people will still watch because of two reasons: 1. Everyone loves a good romance and 2. Miley. All of Nicholas Sparks' movies follow a certain formula as pointed out on cracked.com. He starts with a man and a woman, he creates an obstacle that makes their love impossible, he has them fall in love anyway, he throws in some sort of disaster (like illness) that turns their romance into a tragedy, and finally he counts his money. It's a clear and striking pattern really. If we look back at some of his films like A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, and Dear John, they all follow this formula. In fact, the film posters and imagery are all alike as well:


It's kind of silly to think that although the endings are all the same we just keep coming back for more. What is clear however is that Nicholas Sparks has some definite business savvy in him. He knows that by featuring the "It" girl or guy of the moment he will gain plenty of publicity and cash. A Walk to Remember starred popstar Mandy Moore in her first big film, The Notebook and Dear John featured rising stars Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfreid respectively, and now the torch is being passed to Miley Cyrus. I guess transitioning from popstar to actress requires a Nicholas Sparks film prerequisite? Miley has been getting plenty of media attention lately for her transition from a sweet Disney Star to a serious singer/actress with no qualms of hiding her "wildside". Sparks understands the concept of celebrity and publicity and really uses it to his advantage. In fact, he's already is in the works of creating another one of his books into a film. All in all though, The Last Song sounds like a perfect combination to me: sappy romance + ex Disney starlet; what's not to love? I know I'll be watching...