Summer at her father's beach house proves something of a learning experience for a restless teenage girl in this coming-of-age tale, which sees Miley Cyrus moving out of her child-star "Hannah Montana" persona towards more adult roles. Nicholas Sparks's adaptation of his bestselling novel certainly keeps her on her toes, what with repairing broken relations with estranged dad Greg Kinnear (impeccable, as ever), saving nesting turtles from the attentions of the local raccoons and embarking on a turbulent romance with wealthy hunk Liam Hemsworth. True, Ms Cyrus is evidently more comfortable playing the pouty adolescent than responding to the full-on melodrama thrown at her by the twists and turns of the story, but the film can't be faulted for trying to take its star and her junior female fanbase out of their comfort zone. Certainly it delivers in terms of giving the tween audience a semblance of grown-up drama, even if parents will spot the plot twists a mile off. The jury is still out on Cyrus's ability to sustain her screen career over the longer term, but this is respectable enough as a first step in that direction.

A drama centered on a rebellious girl who is sent to a Southern beach town for the summer to stay with her father. Through their mutual love of music, the estranged duo learn to reconnect.