In his typical romantic fashion, Nicholas Sparks brought us a story of young love tested by distance and time in his novel ""Dear John."" Now, thanks to director Lasse Hallström, an adaptation of Sparks' novel has hit the big screen, promising to bring with it plenty of tears. For those who are fans of Sparks' work or merely die-hard romantics, the movie is sure to be an enjoyable experience. However, some may leave the theater with mixed feelings, thinking this is a story they have seen and heard many times before.
Set in Charleston, N.C., ""Dear John"" tells the story of John Tyree (Channing Tatum), a rebellious young man who, not really knowing what to do with his life, has recently enlisted in the Army. Having grown up in a single-parent household, John leads the life of a loner. However, everything changes when he meets Savannah (Amanda Seyfried), a student at the University of North Carolina who is spending her spring break in Charleston building a home for a poor family. Over the span of two weeks, Savannah falls in love with John despite knowing he must finish his tour. Promising his feelings will never change, John returns to the Middle East to serve his country, and with him he brings a letter from Savannah. In her letter, Savannah tells John to write everything down so they will be with each other even though they are half a world apart.
As the final year of John's tour passes, dozens of letters are written and countless stories shared. John has finally found someone to live for, and with only a few months remaining in his service, he longs to return home to North Carolina one last time. Then tragedy strikes: the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City force John to consider signing on for two more years in the Army. On a brief visit home, John breaks the news to Savannah, who knows she can't do anything but let John return to base. After he is deployed again, Savannah continues to write letters to John. After some time, however, the letters suddenly stop, and two months later John receives word from Savannah that she is engaged to another man.
Heartbroken, John burns all of the letters and puts Savannah out of his mind. But an unexpected return home a few years later brings John and Savannah together once again, and the two find their feelings haven't changed.
As far as acting goes, Tatum and Seyfried do a good job of portraying Sparks' characters. With movies like ""Mamma Mia!,"" Seyfried has had a successful acting career so far and has stepped up her performances since her appearance in ""Mean Girls."" Many can agree that Tatum's recent role in ""G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra"" was anything but extraordinary, but ""Dear John"" proves he may still have some relatively good acting skills. The pair together may be the best romantic couple since Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, who played the couple in the adaptation of Sparks' novel ""The Notebook.""
The plot remains very similar to the rest of Sparks' film adaptations. As expected, many women (and possibly some men) will cry sympathetic tears as they watch John and Savannah's story unfold. It may not be a big change from your normal ""boy meets girl"" scenario, but ""Dear John"" tells a heart-breaking story that many will love.
