When the hype started to build up around Dear John several months back, many industry insiders predicted it would outdo that other very famous Nicholas Sparks adaptation, The Notebook (it doesn’t even come close). Plus, the casting made headlines when it was announced current every-girl heartthrob Channing Tatum (Stop-Loss) as the lead, along with up and comer Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia! and Mean Girls) as his love interest. I’ve been a Channing Tatum fan since he made me laugh in She’s the Man as well as the cheese-tastic dancing flick Step-Up (I have a soft spot for dance flicks, so sue me). But thus far, Tatum has failed to really connect with a script that requires depth of emotion, until (partially) now.

In Dear John, Amanda Seyfried plays Savannah, a wealthy college student on her Spring Break in South Carolina. She meets John (Tatum) at the beach one afternoon when her bag gets knocked into the ocean from a pier, and John “heroically” leaps into the water below like an Adonis and saves her bag from a murky death. She offers him a beer at her house (though she is a good girl and “doesn’t drink, smoke, or sleep around” as we learn) and they, of course, fall into a deep romance where the good girl redeems the former bad boy. There’s a catch, of course, and John is in the Army and is on leave. He still has a year on tour and they promise each other they will write letters and love one another until he comes back and they can spend the rest of their lives together.

The first part of the film moves along nicely. The relationship between John and his father (played by Richard Jenkins) develops into a much bigger subplot than I originally expected. His father’s inability to communicate is explored, explaining the history of the father and son. This part of the picture is given thought and nuance. The background of their relationship is explored richly and succinctly. John and Savannah’s relationship also shows some real heart in the beginning and the two leads have chemistry and their familiarity and comfort is genuine.

Tatum, as I said before, has really failed to connect to his more dramatic roles (Stop-Loss and Fighting). Many times looks like he’s frustrated that he can’t express the pain his character is feeling. But here he finally does show some growth as an actor, and still projects the charisma and likability that has made him an up and coming star. Put him in more films with talented actors like Jenkins, and his growth will continue. Seyfried has been solid, if not great, in her prior work and I’m afraid it’s more of that here. She is muted and though I think she is trying to portray the innocence that comes with the first time you really fall in love, she succeeds in only making Savannah a sweet simp with pretty hair. We are not invested enough in her character to actually sympathize with her decisions throughout the film.

The thing that I notice more and more about the material that Nicholas Sparks writes is that he incorporates disabilities and other complications into his stories that are beyond human control. Sometimes it works, as in The Notebook and the reality of Alzheimer’s. It doesn’t work in Dear John. Believing the plot that Seyfried’s character has so much knowledge about Autism because she grew up next to an Autistic kid is a little far-fetched. Then, when a minor character falls ill, it comes off as a manipulative plot device to solve some issues. No good. The other adaptations of Sparks works often fall prey as well. Message in a Bottle and Nights in Rodanthe? Do NOT get me started on those. And the fact that Miley Cyrus was cast as the young lead in the upcoming The Last Song doesn’t give one much hope either.

All this being said, for those who do appreciate romance, Dear John is worth seeing despite bad reviews. This is a nice movie that honors the military and when you see the men re-enlist after the 9/11 attacks, it reinforces the respect one must have for our armed forces. The movie does succeed in showing that you cannot control every aspect of life and you truly can’t always keep the promises you make. This is a bitter pill to swallow sometimes, but you do get through it. The relationship between the two leading up to the 9/11 attacks and the decision that John grapples with following these events are some of the best scenes in the film. This is where it is realistic.

But as always, if you want true blue love and romance, dust off that copy of The Notebook (you know you have one) and pop that into the player instead (for the 107^th time).

Filed under: Bad Ass Leading Men, Relationships, Romance, silver screen by admin