Overall Good Movie, Liked the Book More

Rating: 7/10 (29 November 2016)

After having read the book I did not want to see the movie, because I really did enjoy the book a lot. The movie was different from the book, but that is common when making books into movies. I did think that it was a good movie, but not my favorite.
The movie is about a solider, John, who meets a girl, Savannah, while he is home from the war. They meet and spend two weeks together and fall in love. They seem to be perfect for one another. He then has to go back to active duty, but the two continue their relationship through letters. At home John's father has dementia and forgets many things, and it frustrates John. Savannah is very good with his father, and that is something that John loves about her. Savannah has a close friend, who she ends up marrying, Tim, who has cancer and Tim's brother, Alan, has Autism. All of these relationships are shown throughout the movie, and you are able to watch how they change as life events such as 9/11, deaths and deployment occur.
I believe that a purpose of this film, and the message that this movie tried to convey was that you cannot take anything or anyone for granted. I believe that this movie really did a great job of conveying that. John took his father for granted, and when he eventually passed away he regretted being mean to him and not spending enough time with him. When 9/11 happened it showed how everyone took for granted how safe and protected our military truly keeps us.
As for those in the movie that played the roles of people with disabilities, I believe that they were portrayed well. Tim, Savannah's husband who eventually was diagnosed with cancer showed how that can affect everyone in that persons life. Now he, Tim, relied heavily on Savannah to take care of Alan who has Autism. I think that Richard Jenkins did a great job portraying someone with dementia. It allowed the viewer to see how that person does not realize that they have memory loss, and also showed how frustrating and stressful it can truly be on relatives and those that are close to that person.
I do recommend this movie to people who are interested. If you have already read the book, just be aware that it is not exactly the same, but it is still good in its own way.