Nicholas Sparks has a lot to answer for, with countless movies like The Last Song being adapted from the hugely popular romance novelist’s works over the last decade.
A teen and her younger brother are sent to stay with their father for the summer, but her initial reluctance thaws when she starts falling for a handsome local hunk.
The romantic drama is never going to be viewed as a benchmark of cinema, but the genre always manages to create a strong emotional attachment between the audience and the characters, and the following ten movies all feature star-crossed romances and happy endings.
Top 10+ Romantic Drama Movies Like The Last Song
1. After (2019)
A college student’s entire world changes when she meets a brooding loner, who causes her to reevaluate her seemingly idyllic life in Jenny Gage’s romantic drama.
Hot young things Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin take the lead roles in a tale of a teenager discovering that there’s much more to life than they first thought.
Movies like The Last Song rarely break any new ground, and After sticks rigidly to formula, so much so that it will directly appeal to exactly the same target audience.
2. If I Stay (2014)
A lot of movies like The Last Song are literary adaptations, and R.J. Cutler’s teen film is one of many that hits all of the expected story and character beats expected on both the page and screen.
A talented young musician wrestles with choosing between her prodigious musical career or the love of her life, before a serious car accident changes everything.
As one of the finest young talents in the business, Chloe Grace Moretz gives a reliably solid performance in a melodramatic romance that features a surprising supernatural element.
3. Endless Love (2014)
Yet another literary adaptation our list of movies like The Last Song, Shana Feste’s Endless Love centers on two love-struck teens facing disapproval from their parents about the relationship.
That basic premise hardly promises much in the way or originality, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the story delivers everything that you’d expect with little in the way of surprises.
Endless Love came under fire for being a less than faithful translation of the source material, but sometimes leaning into cliché is the best way to market your movie to the masses.
4. According to Greta (2009)
Known as Surviving Summer internationally, Nancy Bardawil’s star vehicle for Hilary Duff finds a suicidal and rebellious teen being sent to live with her grandparents for the summer.
As you would expect from any movies like The Last Song, things soon take an upbeat turn for the better as love and adventure swiftly follows her relocation.
One of the more little-seen efforts in the teen romance back catalogue, According to Greta gives Duff the chance to stretch her acting muscles more than usual, and she acquits herself well.
5. The Choice (2016)
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but this entry on our list of movies like The Last Song is the big screen adaptation of a popular Nicholas Sparks novel.
A ladies man and a student in a seemingly happy relationship with her long term boyfriend end up moving in next door to each other, and they eventually start to grow closer.
Star-crossed lover, sun-kissed locations and a cast of very attractive people signal that this is definitely a Nicholas Sparks movie, meaning you already know if you’re on board or not.
6. Forever My Girl (2018)
Not to keep repeating ourselves when it comes to our rundown of movies like The Last Song, but Forever My Girl is a romantic drama based on a hit book about two star-crossed lovers.
Bethany Ashton Wolf directs Alex Rowe and Jessica Roth in the lead roles as a country music superstar and the love of his life respectively, with the plot following their re-connection.
The ‘hero returns to his smalltown roots and finds love’ routine has been done to death a thousand times over, but fans can’t seem to get enough of it which is why it’ll never disappear.
7. The Art of Getting By (2011)
A prep school senior gets more than he bargained for when he falls for one of his classmates, with a handsome artist also entering the mix as potential romantic competition.
Gavin Wiesen’s romantic drama plays it all very safe, but when you’ve got a charming lead like Freddie Highmore to carry the movie then it doesn’t really matter all that much.
Emma Roberts and Michael Angarano lend solid support that adheres to manic pixie dream girl formula, but possesses enough charm to get by.
8. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
The presence of Michael Cera and Kat Dennings alone should promise that Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist won’t be a carbon copy of the majority of movies like The Last Song.
The two title characters spent an evening together, growing closer with every passing minute as they begin to realize that there’s a real connection between them.
Cera dials down his usual shtick as much as he’s capable of doing, and the end result is a sweet and sentimental teen comedy that never strays too far into saccharine territory.
9. Footloose (1984)
You might be wondering what Herbert Ross’ classic is doing here among movies like The Last Song, but it’s one of the greatest teen romance movies ever made, which should be reason enough.
Rock music and dancing have been made illegal, leading to Kevin Bacon’s small-town newcomer trying to shake things up in his staunchly conservative new home.
Cheesier than a stack of Kraft singles, Footloose is the ultimate cinematic comfort food, and leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside from the first minute to the last.
10. The Notebook (2004)
No list of star-crossed romance movies would be complete without The Notebook, and not just because it’s based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.
One of the most popular romantic dramas ever made, the generational love story is capable bringing viewers of every age range and demographic to tears as the leads fall in and out of love over and over again.
Essential viewing for anyone with even the slightest hint of interest in the genre, The Notebook is the definitive big-screen romance of the 21st Century for a lot of people.