Did I mention that as an intern at Seventeen there are some pretty awesome perks? Well, this was one of them. After coming back to work on Thursday, I checked my email and noticed one titled, “Special Screening of The Longest Ride.” By the time I made it to the end of the email, I realized that some of the actors themselves would be there for a Q&A. I’m going to be honest I’ve seen the previews and I considered watching it despite its predictability, so let’s be real how could I pass this up? I RSVP’d immediately hoping it wasn’t too late. On Saturday my friend and I arrived at the theater where we were treated to Baked by Melissa cupcakes, (that’s better than popcorn if you ask me). And we sat down in specially marked seats as “Guests of Cosmo” to anticipate the start.
Fast forward two hours later: the beautiful Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, and Nicholas Sparks came out in person. So did the director, George Tillman, actress Oona Chaplin, and a representative from 20th Century Fox. Special Projects Director at Cosmopolitan, Laura Brounstein was the moderator for the Q&A. We learned about how the idea for the book originated and we heard about how specific scenes were filmed. And oh yeah, Scott Eastwood likes to walk around with his shirt off. I mean no complaints right?
Despite this awesome opportunity, in all honesty it wasn’t my favorite of love stories. There were so many different themes and while I wasn’t a reader of the book, I really think the movie didn’t allow for all of them to fully develop. There were definitely similar characteristics as other Nicholas Sparks movies and I would have preferred that this one set itself apart from the rest. The one take away was that love requires sacrifice, which you see through both present and past couples. And yet another film to remind me I’m still young and not in love.
From left: Britt Robertson, Nicholas Sparks, Scott Eastwood<3, Oona Chaplin, and Producer George Tillman