Excellent film just hard to watch

Rating: Null/10 (19 February 2010)

Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried both give excellent performances in this film. I can tell that they are definitely two young actors with a bright future. I am a Sergeant in the Army and could immediately identify with John. He is a fine young man who wants to serve his country. This film opens in the spring of 2001, when he is on leave surfing and falls in love with Savannah, a young, idealistic college student. We see their whirlwind romance and how they pack a lifetime of joy, laughter and love into only two short weeks. He promises to come back for her when his term of enlistment is up, then America's darkest day happens and it changes everything including their promising relationship. The scriptwriter for this film is a real wizard with words especially in the touching letters the two exchange. I think that the most heart wrenching scene in the film is where he burns all her lovely letters after getting the "Dear John" one. This film eventually goes to 2007 when the two meet again after several years. He has been injured in combat and she has married the man we saw earlier who had the autistic son. SPOILER ALERT, I was so glad that before John's father died that he finally learned to connect with him. His father was probably autistic as well but he truly loved his son. SECOND SPOILER ALERT, John sells his father's coin collection to buy Savannah's terminally ill husband more time and that was such a noble sacrifice. The way this movie ended sort of reminded me of Sleepless In Seattle because you wonder what ultimately happened to these two people you have come to care so much about, did they finally have a happy life together as they deserved? I wanted it spelled out in the end that these two were married and lived happily ever after. John and Savannah, now older and more mature, meet in 2007 in a coffee shop after her husband has died. Earlier, the dying man said he wanted John to care for his autistic son. When they embrace, you just hope for the best. This movie is excellently acted by all involved but I wanted to especially mention the actor playing John's dad. It also has a sweet, touching musical score and a great screenplay. However, this is a movie I only want to see once in my lifetime because it is so downbeat. As a Soldier myself, I have seen what war and prolonged separations can do to even those truly in love.