Liked reading Nicholas Sparks’ “The Last Song?” If so, then you will NOT enjoy this movie. While no movie is exactly like the book, this film warps the plot and misses several trivial characters.  The book was clearly toned down to fit a PG-rating and suit Miley Cyrus’ tween fans; the strong violence and romance that made the book so captivating is almost nonexistent.

If you’re interested in “The Last Song” because you hope it will live up to or at least be similar to Sparks’ “The Notebook”—it doesn’t and it’s not.  You shouldn’t waste your time or money.

I had high expectations, but be prepared to drop yours and brace yourself for an overly dramatic faux-Disney film.

But even without comparisons to the original novel or “The Notebook,” “The Last Song” is no Oscar-winning film.

Cyrus stars as Ronnie, an angsty teen whose mother sends her and her adorable younger brother Jonah (Bobby Coleman) to live at their father’s house in Georgia for the summer.

There, she falls in love with a good-looking and tan volleyball player named Will (Liam Hemsworth) and reconnects with her ailing father (Greg Kinnear).

The picturesque beach town setting and the flawlessly charming Hemsworth are enough to make any girl jealous.  It was perfectly set up to be a heartfelt tale of a summer romance.

But here’s the simple truth—Miley ruined it.

Now lets be clear—I’m not a Miley-hater.  In fact, I love listening to “Party in the USA” about as much as the average 11-year-old.

For her first “real” role outside of Disney, Miley deserves to be cut some slack.  But the film might have been something were it not for her playing the lead character.  She spent most of the movie squinting at the camera (as beautifully illustrated by this music video).

On top of that, Cyrus’ co-stars outshined her.  Coleman, Hemsworth and Kinnear all seemed to fit their roles perfectly, while Cyrus seemed a bit isolated from her character.  Cyrus’ acting was only part of the problem.

One major issue was the time progression.  The movie took place over the span of two weeks instead of two months, and Ronnie and Will’s relationship unrealistically progresses at the speed of sound.

Nonetheless, the tween next to me was very moved by the movie. She cried throughout most of it (except when Hemsworth was shirtless, when she screeched with the rest of the theater), and remained emotional even after the lights in the theater were on and the credits were rolling.

Now, I won’t say that “The Last Song” was a total flop, because it wasn’t.  I laughed, I cried, but I left the movie feeling disappointed.

Most of the tweens surrounding me, however, did not feel the same way as I did. Despite Miley’s attempt to appeal to a “mature” audience, this movie is best suited for younger viewers.