Nicholas Sparks' The Longest Ride came out in theaters, and as with all movies based on Nicholas Sparks novels, I HAD to see it. The Longest Ride, for those who have not heard of or seen it yet, is a love story about a professional bull rider/cowboy, Luke Collins, and an art-loving sorority girl named Sophia. On their first date, they save an old man, Ira Levinson, from a car accident. From there, Sophia and Ira develop a friendship where she reads his love letters to him; the ones he use to write to his beloved wife Ruth. Throughout the movie, we see the two love stories unfold simultaneously and the issues within both relationships are shown in parallel.
Honestly, the storyline had me in tears, which I should have expected. I mean it is Nicholas Sparks, after all. I went and saw this movie with some of my sorority sisters and after we left we all could not shake this slight feeling of sadness (maybe jealousy?) over how precious Luke and Sophia and Ira and Ruth's relationships were throughout the movie. Also, I might have been a tad emotional over how hot Scott Eastwood was as Luke Collins! (Eastwood literally might be the world's most gorgeous man *insert heart-eye emoji here*)
One thing that stuck out immensely to me was the way Sophia acted toward Luke at the beginning of the movie. Luke is a true gentleman when it comes to dating, and Sophia was super taken back from that. This just goes to show how backwards our generation is when it comes to dating. For example, Luke asks Sophia to go on a date. She tells him that she normally just gets 1 a.m. texts to hang out. Why is it that some girls think that guys that text them late at night only wanting one thing is the type of guy they deserve? When did this become the college norm? I know I have fallen guilty to liking guys that treat me like I am disposable. However, I know not all guys suck -- just apparently the ones that I have been dating.
For real though, there was a scene in the movie where Luke went to pick Sophia up from her sorority house for a date and he bought her a whole bouquet of flowers! I honestly think the only time a boy has ever bought me flowers for a date was for prom in high school. Maybe someone has brought you flowers for a date, which I pray to God will/has happened for you. A kind gesture like that from a guy you are interested in can make you feel like the luckiest girl in the world. It was strange that this type of gesture seemed so foreign and hardly heard of to my friends and I.
Luke then takes Sophia on a late-night picnic and sets up a romantic dinner by a fire. Sophia tells Luke that no one has ever done something so special for her before. At this point in the movie, I could totally relate. On the way home, my sorority sisters and I talked about all the romantic gestures that have ever happened to us and those could be complied on less than one hand for almost all of us.
I guess the movie made me realize how crappy dating normally is; and, of course, there are those golden relationships that we all slightly envy, but I'm talking about the college norm. The college norm, where you have no clue where you stand in the relationship and know it will end before it even officially started. I know all girls secretly want “the Luke" that picks them up from their sorority house with flowers and takes them on an awesome date and, we all deserve that.
In the time being, I am sure I will date some more losers, but I hope and pray that one day I will find a guy who proves they are not like the college norm. I hope and pray that one day, I find myself a cowboy.
