3* Review By James R. Holland

This reviewer saw this feature in a movie theater with only two other people, both female, in the audience. There was not a peep out of either of them at any time in the entire film. With no audience reaction to note, this review is based entirely on how this reviewer feels about the movie. Audience reaction does cause reviewers to consider that aspect of the experience when doing a review.

This is a one-tissue story. There were several other attempts to increase the Kleenex rating, but they didn’t quite work. Admittedly this motion picture fan prefers escapism to reality at the movies. I have more than enough stress and hardship in my everyday existence than to want to experience more at the movie theater. I’ve always gone to the movies to be entertained, escape reality for a brief time and maybe for educational purposes. However, over the years the educational benefits coming out of Hollywood have proven more than a bit suspect. The movies have tended to be more than a little influenced by various left-wing liberal agendas, but that wasn’t the case with this particular feature film. This film’s educational slant focused mostly on coin collecting and understanding Autism. 

Dear John is the film version of the novel by Nicholas Sparks. It’s a love story between John Tyree, a young Special Forces army soldier played by Channing Tatum, and an idealistic college student Savannah Curtis who is played by Amanda Seyfried. They meet at a beach in Charlestown, S.C. during the two-week period when John is home on leave and Savannah is on a summer break. In addition to spending her time at her family’s beach house and attending the usual number of beach activities, she is also helping to build a new house for a family whose home was washed away by a hurricane.

It’s a story of love at first sight.  They agree to remain true to each other until his tour is over in twelve months and she graduates from college. They also agree to write each other constantly so that they can share each other’s experiences and not grow apart because of the separation. So this John is actually getting a “Dear John” letter every day from his sweetheart back home. Naturally, the best laid hopes and plans of youth are soon altered by the uncontrollable forces of reality. The events of 9-11 set in motion a series of adventures that neither member of the young couple can really control. The story is about two average everyday people. It’s about their motivations and why they make the life decisions they do. Autism is a sub-team in the movie. Relationships get complicated and the cast gets enveloped in them whether they wish to or not? Richard Jenkins did a good job as John’s father, Mr. Tyree. The understated roles are always harder to make believable.

Since this is a contemporary film with American locales, this reviewer found himself wondering about several annoying little things throughout the movie. Why was Savannah so, so pale when she was spending everyday at the beach or out in the sun building a house with the charity group Habitat for Humanity? Why did she appear to need a manicure, perhaps because of the hard physical construction work she was doing although that didn’t seem to be problem? Why was everyone driving the brand new automobiles or trucks they were?

And the location of the small house being constructed seemed like a very upscale location—the kind of real estate where homeowners would have flood and homeowner’s insurance and assets with which to rebuild their own homes? These kinds of distractions don’t help the audience enjoy the story. It means the dialogue isn’t keeping the viewers' minds totally involved. I’d heard this was a “chick flick” but that description probably doesn’t really sum up this PG-13 motion picture because it’s more than that, but it definitely didn’t appeal to me and I don’t think many of my male friends or sons would be interested in seeing it either. Give me entertainment every time. I don’t want to have to pay for a ticket in order to feel anybody else’s pain if I don’t have to. 

James R. Holland is a film editor, producer, and author--most recently of Adventure Photographer (A Bit of Boston Books/ 2009).  He reviews movies exclusively for Basil & Spice.  Visit James R. Holland's Writer's Page.

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