By Esme Mazzeo, Staff Writer
To be fair, everyone involved with “Dear John,” directed by Lasse Hallstorm and staring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, had a Nicholas Sparks book to work with for inspiration. That means, there are a couple of inevitably cheesy plot points that not even great casting could fix. The movie follows Sparks’ usual formula. Two people fall in love relatively quickly, and then have to find ways to close distance gaps and battle illness in order to stay together.
This time, soldier John Tyree (Tatum) meets Savannah Curtis (Seyfried) while on leave from the military, visiting his autistic father, played brilliantly by Richard Jenkins, for two weeks. Letters bridge the gap of the immense distance between them until September 11, 2001 when The World Trade Center attacks inspire John to extend his tour of duty, breaking the promise he made to Savannah, that he would return to her as soon as he possibly could. Through this difficult time, John also must deal with the guilt he feels about leaving his ailing father home to care for himself. If you have read more than one Sparks book, the journey through the plot of this movie is fairly easy to predict, so sadly, moments of real chemistry are few and far between. They do occur though. A scene where John and Savannah kiss in the pouring rain while touring a house that Savannah is building is actually quite well done, and is the most romantically charged scene Seyfried and Tatum share. Also, a scene where John visits his sick father in the hospital is bound to make most people cry, as Tatum plays a vulnerable soldier very well. Seyfried’s character is rather stoic as far as the plot goes, but she connects with her character’s struggles as well as any other talented actress would.
Save for an unexpected injury, the screenplay stuck to the plot of the novel pretty tightly, taking out scenes that were probably deemed superfluous, but which could have aided in establishing a stronger connection between the couple. The end is altered, however, which was one of the smartest decisions made in regards to the plot. It is still not fulfilling, however. Overall, Tatum gives the best performance, somehow making the audience connect with a rather stereotypically written soldier in unexpected ways, followed by Jenkins, whose character will steal your heart. Seyfried is just along for the ride. “Dear John” is decent, but nowhere near as magical as some of the movies previously adapted from Sparks’ novels.
Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried share a passionate first kiss in the rain in ‘Dear John.” (Photo courtesy of aceshowbiz.com)
