REVIEW: Dear John (2010)

Dear John

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 102 minutes

Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried

My Rating: 2 stars.

-

-

When will Nicholas Sparks adaptations actually explore anything with depth? They’ve all touched on deeper issues – Alzheimer’s, autism, cancer – but none has really looked at disease.

I don’t think that time will ever come. We wouldn’t want to alienate the teenage girl, now would we?

Dear John is a love story, yes, but again there’s more. John Tyree (Channing Tatum) is a soldier on leave, living with his autistic father (Richard Jenkins), when he meets Savannah (Amanda Seyfried). Their whirlwind romance is on a clock. He’s only home for two weeks.

As in all Sparks’ adaptations, that’s enough time to fall in love. There are two problems with this. The first, Tatum doesn’t embrace his character. He goes through the motions, trying to be cute and charming, but coming off annoying and arrogant. The second, he doesn’t seem to care that much when he has to inevitably leave. He has to go to war and has close to zero problems leaving Savannah behind.

Seyfried plays Savannah perfectly and is beginning to emerge as a talented young actress. It’s unfortunate that her efforts are wasted in another shallow film that rivals The Notebook as the most over-marketed, over-hyped Sparks films.

Dear John would be better if we saw more of Jenkins and less of Tatum. Jenkins handles the father with care. Mr. Tyree has lived a difficult life, yet he’s managed to survive alone, raising John after his mother abandoned the family. He’s seen his son off to war numerous times and clings to the routines that got him this far. Now that is interesting. Do we see any more of it? No.

We’re taken to war with John, while he corresponds with Savannah via hand-written letters. He makes no attempts to contact his father or tell Savannah anything about him. She mentions that she visits Mr. Tyree on occasion to make sure he’s ok. We don’t see it, of course, because that would be too uncomfortable.

The film goes on like this, avoiding what’s really important and focusing on John and Savannah’s relationship. I suppose that’s expected from Sparks, who has yet to have an adapted novel profoundly comment or explore a real, human issue. They’re all just love-drunk nonsense.

I’m sure many of you will go – or have gone – and you will say that it’s wonderful and touching. You aren’t wrong, you are just missing out on what could have been so much more. Think about Mr. Tyree and how only he seems to understand the strength of a father-son bond is. He yearns to be close with his son. He’s wanted it since John was 8 years old.

John doesn’t reciprocate. He blocks him out, but we never really know why.

The emotional impact of Dear John is minimal compared to what it should be. There’s war, drama, love, heartache, family bonds and a seemingly endless series of factors that, if portrayed correctly, could tear the audience’s heart out. We feel almost none of it.

I don’t want to blame director Lasse Hallstrom. He’s made unforgettable films like Chocolat, The Cider House Rules, and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. This one, though, is a major downgrade. He’s too safe, but the script doesn’t call for more. He’s forced to work without Mr. Tyree, by far the most interesting character, because that’s how Sparks and screenwriter Jamie Linden made it.

Dear John is a disappointment. Two stars.