Effectively charming and heartbreaking. Tatum and Seyfried sizzle with chemistry.

Rating: 8/10 (21 August 2010)

Dear John does what it sets out to do, be an effective romantic little film in my opinion. I really enjoyed how they developed the relationship between Tatum and Seyfriend. It felt real and it really hit home for me, because It felt like true love to me. Some movie buffs might find this movie to be too corny or rather contrived, but I'm a sucker for some good romance, a rare bird as far as guys go. The story was very well done, and held my attention throughout. But what really made the movie for me was the chemistry between Tatum and Seyfried. Channing isn't the world's greatest actor, but he showed a lot of promise here. I also found the war scenes to be quite realistic and well done, even if there wasn't very many. I went into Dear John. Thinking it was gonna be your typical Romdrama that they seem to put out these days. To my surprise it's fairly intelligent, romantic, and wonderfully emotional, I enjoyed my time with it.
Performances. Channing Tatum still has work to do, but he was actually solid here for the most part. He had a few wooden moments, with that somewhat annoying blank expression on his face, but his effort was clearly there. He's growing up. Amanda Seyfried is delightful in her role. We are able to feel for her character, and become very attracted to her charming ways. She was especially good near the end. Richard Jenkins was the heart of the movie for me. His autistic performance was truly a sight to behold, and I really did feel for him. His hospital moment with Tatum was heartbreaking and heartfelt. Henry Thomas is excellent as the goodhearted, yet Weaslish Tim.
Bottom line. Dear John was a very pleasant surprise for me. It's just a very nice romantic movie, that I think even guys like me could get into, if in the right frame of mind. Grab your wife, girlfriend, or whatever love interest you have, and enjoy.
8/10