Dear John

reviewed by Marc Glassman

Dear John
Lasse Hallstrom, director. Jamie Linden, script based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks
Starring: Channing Tatum (John Tyree), Amanda Seyfried (Savannah Curtis), Richard Jenkins (Mr. Tyree), Henry Thomas (Tim), Braeden Reed (6-years old Alan), Luke Benward (14-years old Alan)

Nicholas Sparks has made a name for himself through a series of best selling romantic novels, many of which have been adapted to the screen. Dear John, the latest Sparks inspired film, displays many of the weaknesses and strengths of such earlier fare as The Notebook, A Walk to Remember and Message in a Bottle.

Once again, the course of love doesn’t flow easily or well. As always, the lovers are a mismatch. And the pacing is slow, comedy nearly non-existent and the setting banal.

On the other hand, Sparks’ fiction allows time for characters to develop and actors to shine. Melodrama and romance are genres that persist because they strike emotional chords in the audience. If you’re not a 12-year old boy, you can hope that the new Sparks film may finally be a hit—or at least aesthetically satisfying.

Sadly, Dear John rarely delivers those teary big moments that one needs in a Sparks film. Channing Tatum’s John and Amanda Seyfried’s Savannah don’t deliver the requisite, um, sparks. Nor does a major character shift make much sense. With those two major problems, the film is likely to achieve a modest success, at best.

The plot is simplicity itself. John, a brooding, hulking, handsome young man, is pursued by Savannah, a chatty, warm, beautiful blonde, after they meet on the beach in 2000. He’s in the Army; she’s a college student. Their conventional courtship has one intriguing subplot: John’s dad is borderline autistic and Alan, the young son of Savannah’s friend Tim, definitely has that medical condition.

When Savannah points out to John that his dad has problems, the young man explodes in a rage. But true love is restored the next day before the lad returns to active duty. The two promise to write—and they certainly do. Montages and short scenes of letters being delivered dominate the middle section of the film, which is punctuated by the events of 9/11. John decides to “re-up,” and his patriotic move proves disastrous for the young lovers.

Apparently, Savannah can’t handle the loneliness, so she writes him a real “dear John” letter, breaking off the relationship. Given everything that’s happened so far in the story, this decision makes no sense. It’s hard to stay emotionally engaged with the film after the couple’s break-up, though they do meet again, years later, leading to more love and heartbreak.

Despite its flaws, Dear John does boast one wonderful performance, by Richard Jenkins as John’s dad. With downcast eyes, a very shy smile and constant feel of ill ease, Jenkins conveys what it must be like to be mildly autistic. If only Channing Tatum could be as good! It’s easy to recommend that Dear John be stamped “Return to Sender.”