Poor Nicholas Sparks........ Another One of His Stories Wasted

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2010)

I feel terrible for Nicholas Sparks. The only one of his books that was done correctly on screen was The Notebook and that was only because of the amazingness of Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, and the rest of the cast and crew. That dedication that The Notebook cast had was missing from this movie.
First of all, putting two big names into a movie can be both good and bad. For the good, they will bring interest to the movie, but they are sometimes not the best for the part. When The Notebook was casted (Sorry to keep bringing it up, but it is a good comparison.), I don't think I had really heard much of the two leads. Dear John on the other hand has Channing Tatum (Step Up, She's The Man, movies that people who will watch this movie have seen) and Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia, Mean Girls, Big Love). These two are well-known in the chick- flick genre. I'm pretty sure that both Tatum and Seyfried were most likely offered the roles.
(Spoilers) Getting down to the actual movie, the beginning was great. It showed how John and Savannah were falling in love quite well. But, unfortunately, it failed to show the relationship between Savannah and Tim, therefore, shocking most of the audience who had not read the book when it is revealed that Tim and Savannah had gotten married. Also, I would have preferred to see less of the military life, and more of Savannah's story back home which might have held my attention a little bit better.
So overall, I give it a six. It could have been way better, but it could have been worse. So, although disappointed, I recommend you see for yourself.