Dear John--An Honest Review

Rating: 10/10 (19 May 2012)

John Tyree (Channing Tatum) is a rebel, who has been changed by life in the Army; Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried) is a caring, compassionate woman. The two meet, and have an immediate and intense connection; however, September 11th will change their lives and loves (and the lives and loves of everyone else in the world) forever.
Acting: I think the acting is stellar! Channing is very believable and sympathetic is John; Seyfried is perfect as Savannah (when I read the book that the film is based on, I always envisioned her as Savannah)! While I think the actor playing Tim is miscast (it should have been a younger actor, in my opinion), he still wasn't too bad. Everyone did a fine job! Music: The score in this film is, by and large, one of the best scores I have ever heard. Ms. Lurie did a fantastic job, blending classical-type instruments with a sort of Southern style. It's amazing! And the non-instrumental songs used in the film (like "The Moon", for example) are also excellent! Editing: The editing is a little sloppy, but it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the film.
Differences Between The Film and The Book: There are many differences between the novel and this movie. Tim is older in the movie than he was in the book; Tim has a lymphoma in the movie, while in the book he has melanoma; in the book, Alan is Tim's brother, not his son; John fights in Afghanistan in the movie, instead of Iraq; and so forth, and so on. While differences like these definitely changed the film, it could've been a whole lot worse. In my opinion, the book is more about emotions that build up over time, while the movie is more about spontaneous emotions. Either way, I think that these differences are endearing. And even if I'm wrong, the movie still shed light on an excellent novel! Overall: Yes, this film has flaws. The editing is okay; some characters are under-developed (.i.e.: Mr. Tyree), while others are over-developed (.i.e.: Randy); the film is long, too. But, in the end, I believe it to be a very beautiful, romantic film. I will defend this film--and the novel--'til the day that I die. I give "Dear John" a 10 out of 10!