Dear John Delivers…For the Most Part
By Lee Ann Rutherford, Writer
February 10, 2010
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Featured A&E, Visual Entertainment
To start off the Valentine weekend early, Hollywood’s adaption of Nickolas Sparks’ Dear John was released on February 5th. This story stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried as they tell a modern day love story.
Tatum plays John, a soldier stationed in Germany but meets Savannah when he comes home for two weeks and she is there for spring break. The two fall in love within those two weeks and when the time comes for John to return to duty, they promise to write the other constantly. Over the next year or so, they manage to make things work and maintain a strong (yet long distance) love for one another. Then September 11th happens, and John makes the choice to be sent to Afghanistan. During this time, he gets one last letter from Savannah saying she has fallen for someone else.
Tatum and Seyfried do an outstanding job with what they are given, portraying extremely deep and complex emotions that are usually hard to dig out of younger actors. Their performances were believable for every situation they were in and the many ages they had to portray. Also Richard Jenkins, who plays John’s father, does an outstanding job.
However, the people behind the scenes, like the writers, could have done a better job. Usually, when a book is adapted to screen, the writers tend to take out a lot of details and speed bumps…not add more than the audience can handle. The book has the right amount of conflicts necessary for making a believable and tragic story. The movie starts adding one new heartbreaking situation after another, until it’s a snow ball effect and you’re sitting there thinking “what are the chances of all this happening?” The things that were taken out, like the majority of Savannah’s side, cuts her short of justifying what she does; cheating her out of being a more well-rounded character.
Another issue was the character aging techniques. The movie takes place over about ten years, while Tatum and Seyfried never seem to age a day. Tying her hair back or putting her in slacks and giving him a little bit of facial hair, does not make two young and beautiful people age a decade.
Will you cry? Most likely. The filmmakers do an excellent job with that part. However, for those unforgiving and faithful to the book, do not see this movie. The ending that is so unique and heart wrenching in the book becomes “Hollywoodifed.” And for easy criers, bring a box of tissues.
Overall, this movie is recommended to anyone who loves a good and timeless love story. While this kind of romantic story is usually aimed towards the female population, guys will probably survive through it as well.
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I went and saw this movie with my significant other. his opinion as to why the movie ending was changed in comparison to the book was because girls will want to see this movie, girls with boyfriends and fiances’ and husbands in the service. These men don’t want to sit through a chick flick to begin with, a chick flick that hits home, especially if they’ve ever recieved a dear john letter? So the movie ending was changed to put a good feeling vibe back into everyone’s hearts, so that females could take their males to see the movie in the first place. just an opinion.
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