DVD Reviews

Dear John – DVD Review

By June L. May 25, 2010, 14:03 GMT

Directed by Lasse Halstrom, based on the novel by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, with screenplay by Jamie Linden, "Dear John" tells the story of John Tyree (Channing Tatum), a young soldier home on leave, and Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried), the idealistic college student he falls in love with during her spring vacation. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by John\'s increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only ...more

In this present day war drama, an Army Special Forces soldier on leave, John Tyree meets a young woman Savannah Lynn Curtis while she is on her spring break from college.

There is instant chemistry and they decide to continue their relationship via handwritten letters after he is deployed.

It is only supposed to be for one year, and then they can be together. Nothing is easy for the couple whose plans go awry in a series of tragedies and unexpected events that will have many viewers sobbing audibly before the film’s finish.

There are few writers like Nicholas Sparks who can make audiences suffer the twisted paths that true love takes and keep them keep coming back for each new journey. This particular story has an absorbing array of elements, boy, girl, war, illness, affection, separation, mental challenges, emotional challenges, misunderstanding, duty, and many different aspects of love.

If you are a fan of this genre, it is a film that will make you cry, but as one of my relatives told her older brother “it is such GOOD crying.” The “good crying” being that which is cathartic, cleansing and restoring a sense of romance, tenderness and hope.

We become hardened in this world because there is so much pain, suffering and awful truth to deal with, sometimes we need a story like Dear John to break through the shells, freeing emotions, and allowing us to be human.

Lasse Hallstrom directed this film, and his touch adds a sense of spirit that transcends the story, blending the characters, the places and the emotions. It is a star-crossed lovers saga, not cliché but familiar.

Amanda Seyfried plays Savanna with spirit and grace, moving from an innocence of young love, through duty to a lasting mature emotion. Channing Tatum’s character John is tough by nature of his training, but tender in his feelings. Together they make a believable and sympathetic couple.

Henry Thomas (ET) gives a strong and touching portrayal as Savannah’s neighbor Tim Wheddon, whose autistic son Alan (Luke Benward) admires Savannah.

Dear John is presented on single disc with a running time of 109 minutes. A large collection of specials are included with the DVD. First there is an alternate ending, and after the emotional pull of the film, the outtakes will make you laugh.

The deleted and alternate scenes section gives input and different readings to parts of the story. ”A Conversation with Channing Tatum, Amada Seyfried and director Lasse Hallstrom adds insight into the filming and characters.

Some of the best moments in the film are those between John and Savannah, discovering and rediscovering their affection. The letters become a lifeline for John, but in spite of the promises, the Savannah begins drifting in her emotions.

The supporting cast gives performances that enhance the story, and bring out humor, enhance the pathos and celebrate triumphs of the spirit.