Dear John - Movie Review

Nicholas Sparks’s latest book-turned-movie, Dear John, is surprisingly more than just a romantic chick flick. The film is about a romance that develops between a Sergeant in the Special Forces on leave in his hometown and a conservative college student on spring break. When the two are torn apart by war they must decide whether their love can withstand the distance and time. Screenwriter Jamie Linden’s adaptation relates to many young, post-9/11 Americans who may also have a loved one serving in the military.

The film starts off with a splash – literally – when John, played by teen-heart throb Channing Tatum, jumps off an ocean pier to rescue Savannah’s purse. From then on, the two are inseparable. Savannah, played by Amanda Seyfried, is intrigued by John’s rebellious past and military present, while John seems to be interested in Savannah’s smile and, um, breasts. But what love story doesn’t start with some lust?

With director Lasse Hallstrom (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Chocolat, The Hoax), the couple is convincing, but the beginning of the film is mainly a montage of the two canoodling on the beach while surfing, in John’s bedroom closet and in a house under construction. The film shifts to a new, much more relatable story when viewers learn more about Savannah and John. While in Sparks’s book Savannah can become tiring and unrealistically perfect, Linden’s Savannah is still modest and conservative, yet not as uptight. For example, Sparks’s Savannah wouldn’t even sleep in the same bed as John while Linden has the two sharing a steamy moment at her parent’s estate.

While Seyfried successfully disappears and transforms into the character of sweet, southern belle Savannah, John’s history is not as detailed as it is in the novel and some viewers may not fully understand this supposedly rebellious character. Linden’s adaptation doesn’t include many details about John’s relationship with his father and this may impact viewers later on in the film

The film’s tension picks up when the couple has to cope with Savannah returning to college and John returning to his duty as a Sergeant in the Special Forces Army. Just as John’s tour is almost over, the events of 9/11 happen. Although Tatum shows that the decision to reenlist is an emotional one, his performance is tested later on in the film in a situation that may surprise readers of Sparks’s book, but may not speak as much to those who did not read the novel. There are many scenes and details throughout the film that viewers may not be able to fully enjoy without reading the novel beforehand. John’s father leads a strange life and the peculiarity of it is not highlighted in the film. The relationship between John and his father is important in the novel, but in the film there is limited room for relationships besides John and Savannah’s. Readers will understand John’s life before meeting Savannah as one filled with juvenile crimes, drinking and drugs. In the film there is a brief scene in which people from John's past confront him at a local restaurant. Both Savannah and viewers are confused by who these people are and why they demand that John leave – it was almost as though there was a missing scene.

However, Linden picks up on the importance of this story, in that it is the first present-day war love story. After almost eight years into the United States invasion of Iraq, it is about time that a film focuses on the relationship of a young couple that is separated by this war. With many Americans still serving in the military and booming box office sales for this film -- starting off on opening day with $13.8 million – this story is obviously a timely reflection on current issues.

** Carousel Picture Acknowledgements: Illustrated by Eve Trojanov