John Tyree (Channing Tatum) is spending a two-week leave from the military at home with his father (Richard Jenkins) in South Carolina. Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) is spending two weeks there with family before returning to college. They meet when he gallantly jumps into the ocean to retrieve her fallen purse, and a love affair soon blossoms. Letters sustain them during the next year apart, but then the events of September 11 extend John’s service indefinitely, and Savannah makes choices that will have lasting consequences for them both.

CRITIQUE

Quite a popular author in Hollywood in recent years, Nicholas Sparks has distinguished himself as a writer of femme-centric fiction that is complete with undying love and a sad ending. The Notebook has been his biggest success to date on the big screen, and this year saw another of his adaptations step into the top spot at the box office during its opening weekend. Dear John, despite the effective performances and direction, cannot overcome the unsubtle melodrama of its script.

Lasse Hallstrom, the Swedish director who helmed many English-language films such as Chocolat, proves as adept as he always was from the beginning of this film. A nice use of voice-over accompanies dramatic slow-motion shots of John wounded on the field of battle in the Middle East. Given Sparks’ track record of killing off one of the main characters of his romances, the viewer might half expect that outcome throughout the entire film leading back up to that moment.

It is, therefore, a nice change from Sparks’ usual modus operandi that John survives, though the typical “true love thwarted by circumstance” conflict he adores is still firmly in place here. We get an ending scene that shows John and Savannah together again, but I get the feeling that this was done to appease test audiences; just compare it to the alternate ending included on this DVD. And that rote feeling is never shaken off the film, no matter how well Hallstrom uses his camera or stages scenes.

The performances in this film, by and large, stand up to scrutiny. Amanda Seyfried is decent enough, though a little bland, while Channing Tatum is a true surprise. Having burst onto cinema screens in 2006‘s sleeper hit Step Up where he danced his tall, large frame into a career, Tatum has enjoyed a number of roles (such as the lead in G.I.: Joe Rise of the Cobra). Some of those were performances he could be proud of, but with this film he flexes muscles of the emotional sort that we haven’t seen him do before. His goodbye to his dying father is quite touching. The fact that John’s father is played by the magnificent Richard Jenkins is another boon, and it’s also nice to see Henry Thomas here.

Dear John will satisfy audiences in terms of direction and performance but the story leaves much to be desired.

THE VIDEO

This anamorphic widescreen presentation takes the visuals to an even grander scale than might be expected from this size film.

THE AUDIO

The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track gets the job done as dialogue and music are clear. There is also an English audio description track for the blind. The only subtitle offered is English. (Sony is usually pretty good about providing additional subtitles...)

THE EXTRAS

Alternate/Deleted Scenes: Twelve scenes are included here, seven of which are alternate scenes. None of them are of any significant length at all, and the extra footage wouldn’t have added much to the final film. They show a bit more of John and Savannah together and more of John at work in the military. The most important addition here is the alternate ending, in which Tim is alive and John walks away from Savannah and her home, content with his decision.

Outtakes: This is the usual mix of flubs and unexpected mishaps. There is one funny physical bit from Tatum, as well as a cute bit where he and Seyfried joke about the coming events of the plot. This can be skipped.

A Conversation with Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, and Lasse Hallstrom: The director and the two lead actors give interviews discussing each other and working together. Mostly, this is a chance for them to praise each other, so it’s filler.

Transforming Charleston: This extra is a rather lengthy detailing of the work that the production design team, namely production designer Kara Lindstrom, did to conjure up far-flung locales from across the globe, like Africa and Hugary, out of locations in Charleston, South Carolina. An old fort, an abandoned school, and a partly demolished concrete factory all serve their purposes as believable backdrops, and the accomplishment of the production team in authenticity is quite impressive.

Military in Movies: Dear John’s Military Advisors: Lieutenant Colonel Greg Bishop and Captain Gavin McCulley discuss their experience as the Army consultants for the film. McCulley even plays language expert Starkes in the film. The two clearly enjoy the work and have respect for the desire for authenticity of the production. The cutest moment comes at the end when author Nicholas Sparks good-naturedly complains about fans prompting him to write about yet another branch of the armed forces. Very interesting stuff here.

Mr. Tyree, the Mule, and Benny Dietz: The detail of John’s father’s coin collecting seen in the film is covered in this brief featurette. Dietz is the fun guy who serves as the advisor about coins for the film, and he talks about a lot of the same things from the film. He also reveals that the moment where Mr. Tyree shows Savannah a silver coin from an 1890’s election came from him. This is an interesting watch. The only snippet of interview we get from excellent actor Jenkins is in this extra, too.

The Story of Braeden Reed: Perhaps the best extra on this disc, this featurette gives the audience the poignant story of the autistic boy who plays Alan in the film. The ways in which the brave choice to cast an actual autistic boy as an autistic character paid off are truly touching, as Braeden’s parents talk about how they worked to make their son’s communication skills as good as they are. The bit that will get you the most, though, is livestock coordinator Daniel Hydrick’s clear emotion as he talks about Braeden’s improvement. “Quite honestly, it changed my life,” he says.

FINAL THOUGHTS

A talented director and group of actors lend a lot to recommend Dear John, but the narrative is simply too heavy-handed emotionally. There are good extra features provided on this disc, though, so many romance fans in general may still want to buy instead of rent. Others who are not fanatics for Sparks or one of the actors can forego this film without regret. Dear John is one of those kinds of films that you will know if you’ll like it before you see it.