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Visitors Review

Annlee Ellingson 2012-05-17 20:28:46

When the romantic fortnight's over, they promise to write to each other until they can be together again in one year's time. Then 9/11 happens.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat 2012-05-17 05:21:54

An engaging romantic love drama that morphs into a deeper and richer consideration of the truly transformative power of love.

Josh Bell 2012-05-16 06:41:55

Eventually Dear John piles on so much tragedy that it becomes laughable, a parade of contrivances keeping the bland lovers apart.

Boba_Fett1138 2012-05-16 05:46:47

Good first half can't make up for its weaker second half.

No, I don't too often watch these sort of romantic and dramatic moviesbut it's not like I hate the genre. It's just so, when you have seenone of these movies, you have basically seen them all already. The onlyway a romantic movie can still satisfy me is if it's doing somethingnew and original, or truly something realistic and heartfelt. Thismovie does none of those things really though unfortunately.But to be honest; I was quite liking the movie at first. Wheneverything was still good and all between its two main characters, themovie was a quite maintaining and sweet little one, that gotbeautifully shot by Swedish director Lasse Hallström. However withthese sort of movies you already know that things can't go well forvery long. There is always a conflict, that sooner or later comes inbetween of the love, of its two main characters.And in this movie it's a whole bunch of different stuff that comes inbetween of its main characters. War, dreams, death, it's all a part ofthis movie, that forces the two lovers apart from each other. And Icould had dealt all well with this, if it got brought better to thescreen.It's not only too much and not really realistic and believable enough,it also all got really cramped in, in its second half. Things happenway too soon after each other, as if the movie was constantly in anhurry. Also none of this ever worked out too well because of that,which makes the movie mostly emotionally an ineffective one.Still I can see this movie having some value to it as a typicalchick-flick. And there is nothing wrong with that, it just clearlyisn't really my cup of tea though.Because there is so much drama in this movie, it also all felt far tooforced. I had a real hard time getting into the second half of themovie because of this, while the first half of the movie was perfectlytold, in a slow and beautiful way. I bought into the love between itstwo main characters, played by Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. Inthe second half this feeling was completely gone and the two of themreally didn't seem to fit together at all.You could also blame the casting because of this. Now, I'm notnecessarily complaining about Channing Tatum's acting skills in thismovie but he still is very miscast. This guy just isn't made to playthe lead role, in a romantic movie. He totally doesn't has the charismafor that. He shows far too little variety and emotions in his role,even while this was obviously crucial for its story and the overallcredibility of it all.It's only a half good movie really. It has a good and likable firsthalf and a not so good, or very credible and powerful second half.5/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

2012-05-10 16:23:23

It was Okay

This movie was slightly better than average. For the most part, it was okay. It was not as moving as some other dramas, such as the Notebook - which was also written by the same author.

Kirk Honeycutt 2012-05-09 21:43:14

A lame romance coupled with more handicaps and hardships than any film can survive without the charge of audience manipulation.

ladymoonpictures 2012-05-09 04:13:21

A Nicholas Sparks Cash Cow: An Implausible 'Notebook' Template

Today, being President's Day, my wife and I had "The Notebook" DVD,checked out at our local library. It's a movie released in 2004 thatfell beneath our radar, as we are big movie goers. I'm a publishedauthor with hopes of screen playing my first book. I'd noticedreferences to "The Notebook" in reviews of other movies which is why Ibrought it up about us watching and this morning provided the perfectopportunity. We both really liked it. It made my wife cry; we couldrelate to many things in it with our own, continuing love affair andeven I fought back choking up.This afternoon, after lots of chores, yard work and eating, we decidedto actually catch a matinée. When we got to the theater, having seenmost of the current batch of films playing, we elected to see "VictoriaDay" which for some reason was not at the theater, even though bothIMDb and my phone movies showed it playing there. So, instead we lookedat the poster for "Dear John" and that it was written by the samewriter as "The Notebook", making it the obvious choice as we enjoyed'TN' so much.What a disappointment! First, the characters did not have the samebelievability or sense of empathy as 'TN'; and we kept commentingthroughout all the similarities -- two dozen or so -- quickly causingus to realize this movie was nothing but, as another reviewercommented, "a poor man's Notebook!" It had a real 'cash cow' feeling,meaning the Sparks simply threw a story together, based on the exacttemplate of 'TN' simply to make a quick buck. Not only that, after the'bug-eyed' trollop improbably 'Dear John's-John' for the wimp cancerpatient, we ridiculed the movie with each, passing soapy stupid lineall the way through to the end. There were only about 6 of us in thetheater during this 4:45pm Monday matinée and my wife even told me tokeep it down so I wouldn't ruin it for the others...it was so bad.Seeing this on the heels of 'TN' ensured that the rip off similaritieswere vividly recognizable and Sparks blatant, cheap attempt at templatewriting painfully obvious. We only wish we could've seen "Victoria Day"instead...no matter how bad it might've been after seeing this poorentry to cinema. And oh..., for the last 30-minutes, I kept saying"...don't give that cow the coins ...don't give that cow the coins?"

carry-92 2012-05-08 13:53:13

Crying guaranteed!

I was just listening to the Soundtrack and remembered how great themovie was. I'm not really into Romance nor Drama movies but this isdefinitely one of my favorites! I don't even know what made me watch itbut I'm so glad I did. The acting was great, the story was amazing eventhough it was sad, the music in the movie underlined it perfectly. I'mnot really the crying type at movies either but I cried at so manyparts because it was just so touching. It shows the ups and downs oflife, how quickly one thing can end or start, how you should live everymoment to the fullest.There is this man who is fighting for his country and even though heknew he just had a summer with this girl he still wanted to spend itwith her. They have deep feelings for each other but the eventshappening are just so sad that even a strong connection is breaking up.To fight against a disease is hard, having to care for a child whilefighting is even harder. You somehow want John to be with her again butalso feel for the friend.I can only say it again, this movie touched me and I'm in love with it!

nicki9112 2012-05-07 16:30:24

Not bad

Wow...I was expecting this movie to be awful after all of the badreviews I've read. Nothing is wrong with this movie! Nothing is wrongwith the acting. It's actually a pretty good movie. I am not usuallyone for romantic movies...usually because I find them to be lame. Thereare definitely moments in this one that tug at your heart and get youteary eyed.I really felt for John in this movie. His character had a tough life...and the relationship between him and his father...It made me reallysad! That Nicholas Sparks! He knows how to stir up emotions...I have not read the book, so I can't compare the two but I say themovie is worth watching.

2012-05-07 11:12:52

"Dear John" hits all the same Nicholas Sparks notes and will make women weep

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Van Roberts 2012-05-07 16:28:24

Dear Me!!!

The only thing romantic about this movie is the pain and anguish ofromance. If you are expecting this cinematic adaptation of anotherNicholas Sparks novel to follow the surefire formula of previous films,such as "Message in a Bottle," "Nights at Rodanthe," and "A Walk toRemember," think again. Nobody dies from an accident trying to savesomebody else and the romance here doesn't transform these characters.If anything, it makes them even more miserable than they were.A soft-spoken Special Forces Army Sergeant, John Tyree (Channing Tatumof "G.I. Joe"), has a memorable two-week fling while on leave from themilitary with an impressionable college girl, Savannah Curtis (radiantAmanda Seyfriend of "Mamma Mia"), who is spending spring break in SouthCarolina. Savannah doesn't drink, smoke, but she tells John that herhead is filled with profanity. Inevitably, John and Savannah topplemadly in love with each other and launch an endless exchange letters oflove letters that are sleep-inducing by any standard. Tyree is off inthe world serving the military in some godforsaken corner of the globewhile she is away at college perusing his letters in class. Just asthey are getting hot and heavy between them, suicidal terrorists crashplanes into the World Trade Center. John reenlists along with hisbuddies in a wave of patriotism without discussing the option withSavannah.Meanwhile, another guy, shaggy but likable family friend Tim (HenryThomas of "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial") who has a motherless, autisticchild named Alan becomes the object of Savannah's sentiment. She is thekind of girl who helps build houses for the less fortunate and wants tostart a summer horse ranch for autistic children. She delays what seemsforever before she finally contacts Tyree with the eponymous letter.Indeed, she dumps him for a man with a disease! Later, she confesses toJohn that she knew the sound of his voice would have broken her resolveto marry Tim, so she doesn't make that fateful call. Predictably, Johnagonizes over Savannah's lack of communication. During a routinemission, our hero takes a couple of terrorist bullets in the back andwinds up in Germany. While all this is transpiring, Tyree is trying tocome to terms with his own coin-collecting father, Mr. Tyree (RichardJenkins of "Step Brothers"), who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome. Itseems that his father is on his last legs after John gets out of thehospital. The lead female character lacks a shred of respect and herbetrayal of Tyree amounts to a pretty low blow. Tyree, his father, andTyree's commander, Keith Robinson, are the only sympathetic charactersin this long distance epistolary romance. "Dear John" gives new meaning to lethargic love stories. Yuck!

Victoria Alexander 2012-05-06 23:30:55

Ponderous direction cripples Tatum with crying like a newborn. Belongs in the dead letter bin.

Joe Morgenstern 2012-05-05 13:02:29

Though Ms. Seyfried is a lovely actress, her inexperience shows in her climactic scenes, which aren't written very well to begin with, while Mr. Tatum's stolid reserve decays into dull passivity.

Kit Bowen 2012-05-05 04:03:06

Dear John can't elevate itself from the same, repetitive Sparks cycle.

Armond White 2012-05-04 22:52:04

Dear John pushes Tatum too far into ... interiorized sensitivity; he needs to be as beautifully expressive as Paul Walker was in the last really good romance movie, Noel.

Fledgling-found 2012-05-04 15:43:16

It touches something strong and beautiful

When I saw who the actors were I had a few doubts (Seyfried comesacross as a little one dimensional) but after watching the film (Tatumin particular!) I stand in awe. It's a very simple, very strong storyabout real people and experiences we all can connect with and for me itwas a testament to love in a hard, confusing world. Tatum channelsgenuine emotion and looks like a million bucks. Strong control of thedramatic and emotional scenes opposite a worthy heroine, Seyfried. Theway the director has set up the scenes and let the story flow ismesmerising and the filming has clarity and transmits emotions well.Great settings and compositions. It's refreshing, inspiring andinasmuch as some might expect another 'Stop-loss' this story is solelyabout the characters, not the same message he portrayed so well in hisprevious war film. There's a great amount of depth to the purity andhope in this film. And while moving at an easy pace it certainlydoesn't drag but rather lets the audience transport into their lives. Best film i've seen in months.

Eunjeen 2012-05-01 23:54:46

The book was much better

I had read the book a few weeks before the movie, and will say I wasdisappointed by the movie. Though Channing and Seyfriend give greatperformances (I was very pleasantly surprised by Channing's), and thefather-son scenes are very touching, the plot itself was ratherconfusing. The ending did not have nearly as much insight as the bookdid, only indicating that John paid for the treatment, but not hismotivations and reasoning behind it, like the book. The first fewscenes of the movie didn't seem to give the characters enough time todevelop the chemistry that was later seen between them. It seemed a bittoo "fast-fowarded" for me, but some make take to that. The best scenesin the movie, by far, were the intense scenes with John and his father,especially the "hospital scene," in which Channing gives a greatperformance. Overall, a good movie, but the book is much, much better(as with many films adapted from books).

Linda Barnard 2012-05-01 09:41:57

A sappy version of the old letters-from-the-trenches weepers of the 1940s that hobbles along despite the best effort of its cast and a director who ought to know better.

camille 2012-04-27 17:52:25

Definitely not Nicholas Sparks material...

So, of course I was extremely excited to go see Dear John because it was based on a Nicholas Sparks book, so it would definitely be a tearjerker. But as I was watching it, I was quickly disappointed to see how everything turned out. I don't believe that John (Channing Tatum) and Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) were star crossed lovers at all. They lacked chemistry in their acting. Also, the movie was very fast paced... in a bad way. They fell in love too quickly and the movie didn't really establish how they fell in love.... Also, the fact that he was away on the army wasn't portrayed very well either. It didnt even seem like he was gone for a year, it only seemed like a couple months. Amanda Seyfried did a horrible job at acting, she looked emotionless. Not believable. I thought Channing Tatum played his part as best he could. Over all, I was extremely disappointed...

nrob-2 2012-04-27 13:31:11

Brave special forces soldier falls in love with a weak girl who can't go the distance.

First, I'll admit that I am prejudiced against stories that have stupidcharacters who jettison their True Love and marry out of sympathy foranother person like themselves: weak, unworthy, and pitiable -- orpitiful, however you'd like to describe them.The girl Savannah can't take the worry and fear of having her TrueLove, special forces soldier John, be away from home and in danger.While he is fighting and risking his life in Afghanistan, dumps him andmarries another man for reasons that some might find noble, but thoseare the same people that think Romeo and Juliet is a terrific romantictale.She sacrifices her own happiness (although presumably she does get amartyrdom kind of joy from her actions) and marries a weak man with anautistic son, and causes utter heartbreak and pain to her True LoveJohn in the process. I'm sure she thought her actions were noble. Sodid Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Boo-hoo-hoo. They are indeed pitiable,but not admirable.Savannah is a terrible role model and her actions should be condemnedrather than praised. No, we shouldn't live only for ourselves, but TrueLove is a rare gift and she was utterly faithless to herself and toJohn.The end of the film shows them finding each other again, but I have tosay he is crazy if he still thinks she would be worthwhile. However,unless she finds some other poor schmuck with personal problems and whois a sucking black hole of need, maybe she'll be faithful to him thistime.Tatum Channing has sex appeal that melts the screen and conveys auniverse of emotions with just a simple look. Amanda Seyfried is lovelyand very appealing, and does a good job with her flawed character. Butcan I recommend this movie? NO. Watch Step Up instead.