Dear John

If you go to a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks book, you can expect the following: an attractive couple, a passionate love affair, a third-party that ruins their blissful relationship and an unexpected plot twist before a bittersweet ending. The Notebook surpassed expectations. Dear John, saddled with a title perfect for deterring teenage boys, doesn’t fare as well.

The movie stars Amanda Seyfried (Savannah) and Channing Tatum (John) as the star-crossed lovers and they do an admirable job with stilted dialogue and far-fetched situations. While not every romance movie needs to be grounded in reality, their courtship could only exist in a complete fantasy…or an alternate world created by Nicholas Sparks himself.

Savannah is a beautiful, selfless college co-ed home for the summer in Charleston. John is a reformed bad boy with a shy streak on leave from the army. In a meet-cute moment, the pair comes together and then falls in love over two short weeks. While romantics could discover their soulmate in a mere 14 days, the film fails at showing a genuine connection between the two characters. Superficially, they’re a match made in silver screen heaven. On an emotional level, there’s no depth or realism to their abrupt declarations of love and commitment.

However, their separation ultimately gives the movie more momentum. John returns to the military, Savannah begins school again, and they start to exchange handwritten letters. It’s an antiquated but heartfelt gesture, and through snail mail they start a real relationship – one that’s built on more than scenic beach strolls and barn make-outs.

While they intended to only spend one year apart, circumstances change and their long-distance love is tested. Cue the tears as John and Savannah agonize over each other, dramatized with lingering shots of a full moon. Although the heart-tugging feels a bit forced, another situation strikes a more authentic chord. John’s complex relationship with his withdrawn father and their struggle to communicate elevates the film’s emotional impact. Beautifully played by Richard Jenkins in a subtle but layered performance, he cares deeply about his son but doesn’t have the ability to express his feelings. Their fragile bond is the movie’s other love story, one that feels more convincing and relatable.

The end of the movie almost makes up for the slow start, packing an emotional punch with a significant surprise. Savannah and John reunite as different people with more maturity and weightier baggage. To the film’s credit, the most believable aspect of the movie is the uncertainty it ends with. There isn’t a perfect resolution, but there is hope. It might be surreal to find the love of your life in two weeks, but not knowing how a relationship will end is something anyone can understand.