It started out really good, but went downhill about 80 minutes in.

Rating: 7/10 (27 May 2011)

First of: I usually give side comments about the movies I watch when I watch them. Like when the mean character does something mean, I sometimes say "Bitch!" or "asshole!" out of nowhere, totally in sync with the movie. During the 100 minutes of screen time this movie has, I spoke out once, about 75 or 80 minutes in and it was this: "Whaaat. no. way." And honestly, for me this movie turned into a so-so movie about ten minutes earlier.
I won't recap or summarize the movie here, because seriously, watch it yourself if you want that, I'm just reviewing it. So, ever since I saw the trailer, I had to see the movie. I almost cried just watching the trailer, how could I not cry during the movie? But I only *nearly* cried once, and that was when John reconciled with his dad. And I wanted to shove something down Savannah's throat by the end, because no one should be so selfish as to harm someone else they love. If she really only married Tim for Alan and Tim's best interest, she should have explained that to John when she told him she was engaged. Because making others (who by the way love you as epically as he loved her and are as damaged as he is) suffer like that without a real explanation, aren't good people. And they aren't people who care for others it seems, because then they would think first about the person they claim to love the most. So I guess to me the characters didn't fit their storyline. Then again, that's probably not the movie's fault, but the author's, so no blame on the movie. The movie (the actors, the acting, the stage, etc) was really good, but the storyline went downhill for me. It's about a 7 out of 10, but I think it'd be better to donate that vote to the author instead of the movie, which probably is a good portrait of the book. What the movie should have showed though (If the book did, I don't know because I haven't and won't ever read the book), is what happened in the very end with them. I mean, they met and they hugged old style and seemed oh-so-close again, but did they end up married? Is he still in the army? I DON'T KNOW!!! AND IT BOTHERS ME!!! grrr... All I'm gonna say.