Originally, I was interested in this movie only because I knew it was Miley Cyrus' first major role outside of the Hannah Montana franchise. But then I read the book, and I really enjoyed it, even though I'm not usually one for Nicholas Sparks. While it's rare for a movie to live up to the promise a book makes, this one does, and I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, a lot of the details in the book don't appear in the movie, but that's understandable. It's almost impossible to make a movie as detailed as a novel, or to get inside the heads of the characters in the exact same way. Given that it is a Sparks project, you probably know what to expect: a love story, some drama, and a little tragedy. It isn't quite in the caliber of say, The Notebook, but I liked it even more than I liked the movie version of A Walk to Remember.

One aspect of the film that I loved, something that I don't think came across quite as well in the novel, was its humor. For a dramatic story that features a romance, the movie included a ton of funny dialogue. Ronnie is, of course, very sarcastic, as she is in the book, which Miley pulls off very well, but her father, her brother, and Will are much funnier in the film that I expected them to be, Will especially. Most of his lines had me cracking a smile, and a lot of them had me, and the rest of the people in the theater, laughing out loud. And Will trying to sing along to a Maroon 5 song with Ronnie as they are driving down a dirt road in Georgia? Not only did it make me laugh, it was also pretty adorable.

I know everyone was going into this movie watching Miley, much like myself, but it's Liam who held my attention more, and part of that was because of the way he was able to deliver his lines. His American accent was flawless. His jokes were effortless. He just seemed so much more natural in the part he was playing than anyone else in the movie. And for that reason I think this film is going to be his vehicle to stardom. Don't get me wrong, Miley isn't bad. Some of her scenes just seemed a little bit forced (especially her crying; she really needs to work on that if she wants to pursue more drama). It's Liam who ends up showing up on your radar. (Although, as a side note, I'd like to point out that the two of them have really great chemistry. That doesn't usually happen with actors who end up in a real life relationship. They tend to get uncomfortable in front of the camera. Not the case here: most of Miley's best scenes are with Liam.)

This movie honestly has everything you need to have a quality watching experience. Is it going to win a lot of awards? Probably not. But it has a great script, a good balance of comedy and drama, great chemistry between its love interests, and even a breakout star to call its own. It's worth a viewing. Or two. Maybe more.