‘Dear John’ (2010) is a deeply moving romantic drama that has been adapted from a novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. It chronicles the love of a young soldier for a woman who was left behind when he was sent abroad to a war zone. They continue their relationship at a distance by exchanging letters. Sparks had previously written novels on which other hit romance movies were based, including ‘The Notebook,’ ‘A Walk To Remember,’ and ‘Message in a Bottle.’
The film was directed by Lasse Hallstrom and had the most successful opening weekend of any Nicholas Sparks film to date, peaking at number one at the box office, beating out “Avatar,” which had reigned at the top for seven years. previous weekends.
Dear John stars Amanda Seyfried as Savannah, the college student the soldier leaves behind. Channing Tatum is John, the soldier who falls in love with her before embarking abroad.
The two meet during 2001 when she is on vacation from college and he is on leave from the army. The couple soon realize they are in love and John meets his family and several of his neighbors. Savannah also meets John’s father, who for some years had been more concerned with his coin collection than with being John’s father.
Savannah thinks her father may be autistic, like her neighbor’s son. John misunderstands and thinks that she means that he is retarded and gets angry. Angry, he also gets into a fight with one of Savannah’s neighbors. However, he apologizes the next day and sends Savannah a note asking her to forgive him before she ends her leave. She graciously agrees and they spend one more day together before he leaves.
John had intended this to be his last year in the military and hoped to return to marry Savannah, however the terrorist attack on 9/11 leaves him in a dilemma and he asks her advice on whether he should re-enlist. She tells him that he should do what he thinks is right. Like the other soldiers in his unit, he decides that he must re-enlist.
The letters and wars drag on for another seven years, with John facing constant danger and eagerly awaiting the letters he receives from Savannah. However, distance and delay begin to take their toll as the couple grows apart.
Eventually, Savannah feels she can’t wait any longer and sadly sends him a “Dear John” letter to tell him that she has agreed to marry someone else.
John is despondent and feels that he no longer has a reason to return to civilian life, so even though he has been injured several times, he decides to re-enlist and stay in the military for as long as he can.
However, John’s father has a stroke and is dying. John is sent home to spend the last days with him.
The film is notable for the way it portrays Savannah’s enduring love and loyalty during those long years when she has little emotional support from John and an uncertain future. Her youth is passing while John faces numerous dangers and could be killed in action at any time. Both Amanda and Channing play their roles with sensitivity and respect for their characters.
