If someone were to ask me what the best book I ever read was, I would reply eagerly, "Dear John!" If someone were to ask me what the worst movie I ever saw was, I'd say in a devastating tone, "Dear John."
Word's cannot describe how disappointed I was walking out of the theater this past weekend. I have been anticipating seeing this movie ever since I saw the trailer months ago. In fact, it was seeing the trailer that made me pick up the Nicholas Sparks' book in the first place.
As I sat in my seat with a glowing face and maybe unrealistic expectations, I began to feel cheated, confused, and just plain upset – all within the first half hour. Those feelings stayed with me throughout the movie, and when it ended I felt robbed of everything I loved about the book. Despite the movie being directed by Oscar nominee Lasse Hallstrom, the once promising love story was nothing more than a huge let down.
The one thing this movie did not lack was eye candy. "Dear John" stars Channing Tatum as John and Amanda Seyfried as Savannah, the love of John's life.
John, bad boy turned good, is in the United States Army and meets Savannah, the kind hearted "girl next door" in the beginning of his two week leave in his home state of North Carolina. It was a case of the rare and perhaps unrealistic "love at first sight" and the pair spends the two short weeks getting to know each other and falling in love.
When John leaves to get back to duty, Savannah makes a promise that she will be there when he gets back. In just 12 months, John will be home for good and the couple plans to start a life together. Of course, like all Nicholas Sparks' book, living happily ever after is not so simple because life gets in the way. The devastating attack on the World Trade Center occurs and suddenly everything changes.
A very important aspect of the book that was tragically lost in the movie was John's relationship with his father. His father is a quiet, introverted man of routine. Throughout John's childhood, he had a hard time displaying emotion and being social. The only connection his father had with John is his collection of coins. Coins were his father's only passion. The only time his father feels comfortable and talkative is when he speaks about coins. As John grew up, he began to resent his father's coins and become more aware of their differences. The relationship becomes strained and the two barely speak.
Savannah, who is studying special education, points out to John that his father may have a form of a mild case of autism. John is angry and resentful when he hears this, but begins to watch his father more closely, realizing Savannah may be right. With a newfound explanation of his father's behavior, John learns to be more understanding and patient and his relationship with his father slowly rebuilds.
The movie glanced over those small moments between John and his father – the moments when you knew they had a special deep bond and love for one another.
The characters were flat and lacked the kind of passion that Sparks' brilliantly conveyed throughout the book. The chemistry between Tatum and Seyfried was struggling, which was a far cry from the passion we saw between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in Sparks' other bestselling novel turned motion picture, "The Notebook."
The movie felt rushed and lacked explanation for many aspects of the plot. I thought maybe I was being too hard on the film because I was such a fan of the book. If I hadn't read the book would I have thought differently? I saw the movie with a friend who had not read the book. When I asked her what her thoughts were, she said, "It felt like pieces of the story were missing, like I was supposed to figure things out on my own." Being that the film only received 2 out of 5 stars according to boxoffice.com, critics agree.
Rather than heading to the theater and seeing a movie that's bland and boring, head to the bookstore. For less than the price of a movie ticket, I'd advise you to capture the true essence of "Dear John" by purchasing the Nicholas Sparks' book. The emotional story is one that will stick with you long after the pages have been turned.
e-mail Erin at: eav3467@esu.edu
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