By: Aiyana Moore ~Staff Writer~

Nicholas Sparks, an American romantic novelist, has had 10 novels adapted to film. While it seems that Sparks certainly has the love story formula down pat, it must be mentioned how repetitive this formula has become.

Sparks has become well-known for his romantic-drama films that feature a relationship that’s typically doomed from the start, whether it is by class, war or some other devastating factor and he seems to have no qualms about killing off his main characters.

Sparks’ newest film adaptation, “The Longest Ride,” is no different when it comes to his successful formula. “The Longest Ride” tells the story of young bull rider, Luke Collins (Scott Eastwood) who meets Sophia Danko (Britt Robertson) when his cowboy hat flies off after a particularly feisty bull ride.

When Sophia attempts to return the hat, Luke tells her to keep it, and the romance is born. Luke, a poor country boy from North Carolina, and Sophia, an art history major moving to New York, seem, just as with every Sparks film, doomed before their relationship even begins.

When the couple meets Ira Levinson (Alan Alda), an old man with a story very similar to their own, Luke and Sophia’s relationship is able to flourish for a little while. As far as Nicholas Sparks films go, “The Longest Ride” was enjoyable. Though it follows Sparks’ now predictable formula, the film still managed to have a twist that wasn’t quite so obvious and characters that moved, ever so slightly, beyond “I love you and that’s all that matters.”

Still, “The Longest Ride” was comparable to several of Sparks’ other films, most notable “The Best of Me,” (2014) which also told the story of lovers who are brought back together after a breakup through their mutual friendship with a meddling old man.

If what you’re looking for in “The Longest Ride” is a cute movie that will leave you tearyeyed, but happy, this is your film. The relationship between the bull rider and the art historian will have you swooning as they work through obstacles together, most notably their chosen professions. However, if you’re still waiting for Sparks to put his mind to work at something original, it may be a while.