“The Longest Ride” is certainly far from the most arduous experiences I’ve had at the cinema but it certainly travels down a well-worn and often-used road.

Starring Clint Eastwood’s son, Scott Eastwood, and Britt Robertson, “The Longest Ride” tells the story of two connected couples separated by time. The base love stories are nothing original and conform very closely to Nicholas Sparks’ (the author of the source material) model. That said, Sparks definitely has dialed in on type of love story that is repeatable and widely appealing.

There is nothing overly remarkable or overly condemnable in “The Longest Ride.” I enjoyed it a great deal more than I enjoyed “Furious 7,” for the simple fact that I didn’t feel like my intelligence was being as dastardly attacked and insulted.

To the film’s credit, the pacing and editing felt about right. Telling two distinct stories that are woven together is tricky business. It’s easy to spend too long on Story A and neglect Story B and vice versa. I never felt cheated or left hanging when the story would shift and I was always happy to check back in with the different characters.

Bull riding features very prominently in the story and I found myself enjoying those sequences because I know so little about the sport. In a similar, but much less powerful, way, “The Longest Ride” achieves what “Draft Day” did with the NFL draft – it provides a look into a world that was unfamiliar, at least to me. Plus, there’s just something fun about slow motion bulls flailing all over the screen.

I wouldn’t say that this is a love story for the ages, far from it. However, for those looking for a quieter, less-explosive alternative at the movies, “The Longest Ride” might be one of the last such experiences before summer movie season kicks off in a few weeks.

4 of 6 stars