'Dear John' Movie Review

You know exactly what you're getting into when you go buy a ticket to see a film based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. It's going to be a romantic tale with the two pretty people who fall in love, something beyond their control will keep them apart, and then they'll eventually come to some dramatic, weepy decision about their relationship that will change their lives forever. In the case of Dear John, Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried are the pretty people and the Army and 9/11 are what keeps them apart.

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom and adapted by Jamie Linden, Dear John uses nearly every trick in the book to get you to reach for the tissues (no animal dies or else I'd leave out 'nearly'). And judging by the reaction of the women seated around me at the preview screening, Dear John does accomplish its multiple tissue goal. Of course, the batch of 20-somethings seated in the row ahead of me were ready to cry from the moment they sat down, and I think that's true of most adults who buy a ticket for this sort of film. It's expected you're going to tear up before the movie's over, and Dear John does its best to make sure you leave with your mascara messed up and eyes a little bit puffy.

If only Linden and Hallstrom had found a better way to play out the final act, I'd be right there with those ladies. Well, not crying because I only do that at films that do involve the death of an animal (oh yeah, Marley and Me made me sob), but at least I'd be sharing in that same heart-wrenching feeling with those who were sniffling and shedding tears. But with about half an hour left, Dear John took a shark-jumping turn that ruined the entire film for me.
  

The Story

Savannah (Seyfried) is on the pier with friends when her purse falls into the ocean. John (Tatum), who doesn't know Savannah, is standing nearby, sees the purse fall and watches as her date tries to figure out how to recover it. Taking matters into his own hands, John dives off the pier, gets the purse, and brings it back to shore, abs sparkling in the sun as he shakes off the water and hands it back to its appreciative owner.

Savannah is smitten by her purse's savior, and John finds this blonde cutie to be quite to his liking. Her 'date', Randy (his name and disposition), isn't really her date but just a wannabe boyfriend who hangs around hoping she'll notice they're meant to be together. She doesn't. She likes John, a Green Beret home on leave who used to have anger issues. And thus a relationship is born. They spend two weeks getting to know each other, donating time to rebuild a home that was destroyed, hanging out with Savannah's neighbor (a single dad with a young autistic son), and John's dad, a widow who apparently has gone through his whole life never being diagnosed as autistic until college student Savannah points out the obvious. Then John heads off to some foreign post and Savannah heads back to college, but they agree to exchange open, honest letters as often as possible.

Through the letters they learn more about each other (and so does the audience), and John's just counting down the days until he gets out and can be with Savannah forever. But then the unimaginable happens. America's attacked and John makes the tough decision to reenlist, believing his happiness should come second to defending his country. Savannah's upset, yet she understands.

But John and Savannah have the odds stacked against them. It's really hard to sustain a long-distance relationship, and even more difficult when the person you're involved with is someone you've actually only seen in person for what amounts to less than a month. And there is the fact that the movie is called Dear John and we all know what a 'Dear John' letter is...

The Acting

My favorite Channing Tatum performance to date was the one he delivered in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, but this one's actually pretty close to that level. Tatum plays soldier well (this is his third film playing a character in the military), but he also digs deep and captures the emotional turmoil John's going through as he's separated from his love. The relationship between John and his emotionally stunted father (played by the always dependable Richard Jenkins) also feels truthful, with Tatum and Jenkins working well together in their limited shared screen-time.

Amanda Seyfried's really blossoming as an actress and as Savannah she shows a new level of maturity. She might not be totally up to carrying the weight of the leading lady on her shoulders just yet, but she's this/close.
   

The Bottom Line

I liked the chemistry between Tatum and Seyfried - I bought them as a couple - and the supporting players (Jenkins, Henry Thomas, and Scott Porter) were great. The scenery was gorgeous (and I'm not just talking about a shirtless Tatum) and the writing was decent enough during the first hour of the film. But then there was this alternate universe kind of plunked down into the story that left me feeling completely empty. Actually, empty's not the word I'm searching for. Disappointed, disillusioned, let down, even mildly angry - that's how I felt when Dear John was over.

I really enjoyed Dear John's first hour and 10 minutes. I was buying into the long-distance love story and then it all went south because of the ludicrous plot choices thrown in toward the end. I didn't read the book and have no idea if these were novelist Sparks' ideas or screenwriter Linden's. All I know is that the final third of the film destroyed the mood, destroyed this sweet love story that had been built up over the first two-thirds of the movie.

GRADE: C+

Dear John was directed by Lasse Hallstrom and is rated PG-13 for some sensuality and violence.

Theatrical Release: February 5, 2010

_{Disclosure: This review is based on a screening provided by the studio. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.}