‘Dear John’ Literally Begs for Your Empathy
-----Yet another movie adapted from a ridiculous Nicholas Sparks novel. That can’t be all bad though, can it? After all, another of his books was translated into fan favorite ‘The Notebook,’ a film that was just bearable in this viewer’s esteemed opinion. That aside, Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe) has done little to garner any legitimate respect as a dramatic actor, and so it comes as a surprise when he’s not the source of the problem. Instead we get a dreadfully sappy performance from Amanda Seyfried, thanks mostly to Sparks’ infuriatingly manipulative screenplay that seems to exist only for cheap tears from its female audience.
-----Military man John Tyree (Tatum) meets Savannah (Seyfried) while on leave visiting his dad. Ok, this is typical chick flick material, the vacationing surfer impresses the “interesting” girl; this is expected. And surprisingly enough, this isn’t so bad. What is bad is the ensuing plot. When John’s military tour is prolonged thanks to the events of 9/11, the two lovers start writing letters to each other telling of all that is happening to them. While John is off fighting a war, Savannah is at home along with John’s autistic father. Not sappy enough for you? Well, the surprise comes in that the film still isn’t all that horrific up to this point. Granted, it’s certainly not good, but it’s hardly dreadful thanks to a decent performance from Tatum and a downright solid one from his father, played by Oscar-Nominee Richard Jenkins (2008’s ‘The Visitor’). The two have a good chemistry and their scenes mark the films best.
----- On the other hand, Seyfried’s character is astoundingly obnoxious. Playing on the cliché that she wants to help other people, her character grows more pretentious with every minute. She ultimately becomes a an embodiment of just how ridiculous it is for this breezy chic flick to try tackling issues like autism and 9/11, all while blatantly pointing out the film’s horrendous manipulative tendencies with her overbearing and insanely whiny performance. And as the third act’s agenda comes full circle, Sparks manages to disgust the audience even further as he pulls them along into an outrageous final outcome; and all in the name of a whatever-it-takes-to-have-it-your-way ending. The book apparently ends another way, so it’s fair to say that screenwriter Jamie Linden and pretty much all involved with the film are also to blame for the changes, most of which were likely just another part of the pointless puzzle. By the time the credits roll you’ll be leaping from your seat to get away from the suffocating plead for tears that is ‘Dear John.’
-----As stated above, ‘Dear John’ is a chick flick tearjerker wannabe that’s far too pretentious to be bearable. Just as Sparks tries to take the story to an epic level, it loses any credibility it still had as a popcorn romance. The music choice is just as blatant as anything else about the film, and it’s shot in a plain and uninteresting fashion. Furthermore the voiceover monologues that read the letters to the audience border on physical torture. Surprisingly, Tatum and Jenkins turn in good performances, and most of the melodrama surrounding them is semi-bearable. The real killer of ‘Dear John’ is Seyfried’s piece of plot and Sparks’s overall ostentatious mentality with his writing. I am honestly dumbfounded that anyone actually buys these novels, especially if they tend to be as trashy as this one. Where’s your sense of dignity? How can anyone cry at something so incredibly shallow and contrived? This makes ‘Leap Year’ look like a masterpiece of in-depth study on modern relationships. Don’t waste your time on this garbage, you’re better than it!
|
