What Do The Critics Say?

"The start of Dear John is achingly dreamy and romance-drenched and there is evident chemistry between the brooding Tatum and the sylphlike Amanda Seyfried, making it easy for Dear John’s audience to get swept away by how adorable this couple is. The Notebook, this ain’t; not that Dear John doesn’t try its hardest to match the film that single-handledly shot the stock of Kleenex overnight with all sorts of attempts at tear-jerking moments that never work." The Lady Miz Diva THE DIVA REVIEW "Given the comely and talented leads, it’s disappointing how little carnal or emotional heat is actually generated. Reportedly reworked after test-screening feedback, the conclusion feels tacked on and is less than satisfying." John P. McCarthy BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE "Bland, excessively corny, schmaltzy and contrived while lacking any requisite romantic chemistry. It cannot be saved by picturesque scenery and attractive leads alone." Avi Offer NYC MOVIE REVIEW "The twists turn syrupy, but are elevated by a cast that throws itself heart and soul into the proceedings." Andrea Chase KILLER MOVIE REVIEWS "The primary problem is Channing Tatum’s ("Fighting", "Stop-Loss") lack of appeal; he’s hunky and photogenic but totally lacks charisma. Lovely Amanda Seyfried ("Mamma Mia", HBO’s "Big Love") does her best to feign carnal chemistry but to no avail. Sudsy and syrupy, too often crossing the thin, star-crossed line between sentimentality and schmaltzy." Susan Granger SSG SYNDICATE

"Dear John may seem like a tearjerker romance aimed at the demographic that left piles of wet tissues at screenings of The Notebook, but it's not. There is pain, bitter yearning, stoic acceptance, more pain, some wistful yearning. Tatum gets the most screen time and will get a stratospheric career boost from Dear John, but he deserves it." Matt Kelemen LAS VEGAS CITYLIFE "Dear Mr. Sparks and The Filmmakers: Due to unanticipated disappointments, I regret to inform you that I cannot love your film. Godspeed." Kimberly Gadette IDIE MOVIES ONLINE "Goes through its motions with a greater tenderness than expected and, as such, comes a whole lot closer to something its audience deserves than what they tend to settle for." William Goss CINEMATICAL "On the grand scale of convincing romantic melodramas, "Dear John" falls somewhere between "Antichrist" and "From Paris With Love. It is a shamelessly melodramatic work that goes to extraordinary lengths to bully viewers into tearful submission by deploying virtually every soap-opera cliché imaginable, even the ones that you thought had been forcibly retired years ago." Peter Sobczynski EFILMCRITIC "In the past few days and weeks, I've heard lots of derisive snorts about Lasse Hallström's "Dear John," including plenty of snide comments about its being "just another chick flick." But I think the movie fits more comfortably, without compromise or apology, into the category of wartime melodrama. Seyfried's performance is lovely. Her character may be sweet, but she's also marvelously direct, two qualities that Seyfried holds in balance perfectly." Stephanie Zacharek SALON.COM

The Making Of Dear John The screen version of Dear John found its 'spark' when producer Marty Bowen ("The Twilight Saga: New Moon") was given the manuscript of bestselling author Nicholas Sparks's novel before it was even published. "I found myself completely touched by it," says Bowen. "Sparks has a way of writing that allows you to get lost in this world, these characters, and the beautiful Carolina environment he paints. And there were certain twists in the story that I just wasn’t expecting. When I finished the book, my biggest concern was I just didn’t feel like there was anybody actor-wise who’d really be able to pull off this perfect guy." Sparks 's John is part masculine soldier, who is willing to do whatever he has to do for his country, and then also this softer somebody who can fall in love with a girl completely and possibly be heartbroken by the experience. Then Bowen thought of Channing Tatum. "I had seen Channing in several films, including "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" and "Step Up". In thinking about it, I was amazed to see he had both of these characteristics. I thought, 'If Channing would want me to develop this, then it would be a project that would really excite me.' We gave the book to his representatives and Channing loved it. It was perfect for him." The film had found its dear John. With Tatum on board, Bowen and producing partner Wyck Godfrey (the duo also shepherded the blockbuster 'Twilight' film franchise to the big screen) knew they’d found their next project. As the book "Dear John" became another in an incredible string of publishing hits for Sparks, the film began to gain momentum and take shape. The producers turned to screenwriter Jamie Linden to adapt the novel for the big screen. They’d admired Linden’s We Are Marshall and thought he’d bring great perspective to the adaptation. Interestingly, however, Linden actually initially passed on the project, not having had the experience of (and not being entirely comfortable with) writing a love story. "But I kept thinking about it," Linden recalls, "and couldn’t get it out of my head." The film is by and large a romance, but what ultimately captivated Linden and became the way into the story for him was the relationship between John and his fathere. Linden (writer and co-producer on "We Are Marshall" 2006) thought of a different way to handle the climactic father/son scene from the book, and that made him want to tackle the entire screenplay. "In the book, [that scene between father and son] had been done in a very straightforward manner, where they’re very open about their feelings," Linden notes. Instead, he came up with the idea of furthering the story’s use of letter writing by having John write a letter to his father; he then reads the letter to his father in their most emotional encounter. "I really wanted to see that scene get put on film," he said. "So to get that done, I had to do the entire movie." Linden’s participation in the film was a go. He describes "Dear John as not just "a love story between John and Savannah, but it’s also a love story between John and his dad. In that respect, I think it’s got some depth, scope, and character that make it resonate." With a screenplay in place, the project took another great leap forward when the producers were able to sign veteran helmer Lasse Hallström to direct. Hallström’s celebrated films are known for their rich look and feel as well as their characters’ pervasive embrace of life’s wonders, surprises and disappointments. Dear John’s, John and Savannah, share some of the characteristics and resilience of a number of well-known films the two time Guild of German Art House Cinemas Gold Guild Film Award winner (1995 & 2010) Hallström has helmed. Memorable characters such as the boy Ingemar (Anton Glanzelius) in Hallström’s first international success, "My Life as a Dog"; Gilbert (Johnny Depp) in "What’s Eating Gilbert Grape"; Homer (Tobey Maguire) in "The Cider House Rules"; and Vianne (Juliette Binoche) in "Chocolat". These are all memorable films that skirt easy sentimentality while still bringing great emotion to the screen. "If you have a script that has a strong emotional arc and you want the film to be powerful and moving, yet not fall into the world of melodrama, then there’s one director you want to get: Lasse Hallström," Bowen states. "He’s uniquely untroubled with the notion of trying to make things overly intellectualized, overly self-important, or overly melodramatic. Being in touch with emotions and being able to deliver that in an honest fashion; as opposed to trying to arc it for film, are what make him really, really special." Describing what attracted him to the project, Hallström says, "Mostly my interest in Dear John was in the people, the story of these two kids who fall in love." He also says it was "to be able to tell an epic love story on a grand canvas, to portray the scope of it all. I'm always interested in character-driven stories." The entire cast sings Hallström’s praises. Channing Tatum ("Fighting") describes how he was "thrilled when Lasse came in and loved the script. He’s so sensitive and gentle in this brilliant way." "He’s so focused," says "Mamma Mia! The Movie" star Amanda Seyfried. "He listens to and sees everything that happens. And he’s European. There’s something about those Swedish people." Acclaimed character actor and 2008 Moscow International Film Festival Silver St George Best Actor winner Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor") says, "Lasse wants to explore and find things that are not obviously there. He’s a generous man who collaborates and is interested in performances that are really alive and real. That’s what you always hope for when you begin a project." "The main reason I wanted to work on this film," says 1983 Young Artist Award winner Henry Thomas ("E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"), "was because Lasse Hallström was involved in it. In my experience, when you work with big directors the mood is generally heightened, but this set was very relaxed." Production designer Kara Lindstrom ("The Mambo Kings" & "In The Line Of Fire") admires how "Lasse's curiosity created an extra layer of meaning to the whole filmmaking process, which is the basis for real collaboration. Of course he wanted good sets, but the important thing, for me, is that he wanted to know why they were appropriate or why I thought they would work. Once you start discussing at this level, work becomes a real pleasure." A faded sign in the Eastern European streetscape that reads "Chocolat" and the Swedish flag flying among others over the Afghan base camp are Lindstrom’s homages to the director. When thinking about his acting career, Channing Tatum hadn’t pictured himself starring in many romantic films. "When you’re growing up, you imagine yourself running around shooting and jumping from buildings. There aren’t that many amazing love stories seen through the guy’s point of view, so I thought this was a really interesting opportunity. This story also had an edge to it that some of the other books didn’t have. I figured it would be a lot of fun to do something a little softer, a little more quiet: just sitting and acting for once." In addition to his military and character training, Tatum discovered a new love in his preparations for the role: surfing. John is surfing when the film opens, and Tatum wanted to do the surfing himself. "I’m from Florida, but I’ve just never been a surfer. It was amazing to go out for the first time with Mark, my coach. It was freezing. It was a real treat, though, to just watch myself get better. I’m totally addicted. I’ve got two boards of my own now." Savannah is a richly-drawn, complicated role, and finding the right actress was a challenge for the producers. In addition to being emotionally demanding, they needed to find an actress who could play both the young and, as the story moves to the present, a more mature Savannah. Ultimately, they found their Savannah in acclaimed young star Amanda Seyfried ("Big Love"). Seyfried describes Savannah as "a good girl, a smart, open-minded young woman who doesn’t take life too seriously. And she’s a romantic, which is why she and John click so well. She falls in love pretty hard right away: it’s a big deal. I don’t think she’s ever been in love before she meets this guy." Tatum says he thinks "Amanda’s amazing and beautiful and brilliant. She came in and performed the audition differently; her work almost threw me because she brought in a sense of irony and humour that no one else did." "Amanda did a really great job adding her personality to the character. Her unpredictability was also very rewarding," Hallström said. "She just has a way of avoiding clichés and obvious choices." Bowen notess, "Sparks's characters are lovers, but they also seem to be friends. There’s a real connection between Channing and Amanda, not only as actors but as people. They’re so playful, and when the camera starts to roll that connection is quite touching and very real." "Channing and Amanda both have such a naturalism about them," Linden adds. "Nothing ever feels forced with them, and they really like each other. Chemistry is such an organic thing. You can’t intellectualize it and they’ve got it. There’s something about seeing them together that fits and feels right." The secondary storyline in "Dear John" is that of John’s relationship with his father, Mr Tyree, played by Richard Jenkins ("North Country"). Jenkins sees his character as "a man who raised John by himself and truly loves his child, but doesn’t know how to express it. He’s a strange man, very quiet, not very communicative, not very social. And the relationship between father and son is strained to say the least. When Savannah enters their lives, it becomes something like a triangle." "I thought the character that was on the page was interesting, but with Richard, he became even more interesting," Hallström offered. "He surprised me completely. He has a wonderful eye for detail, for observing human behaviour. With no exception, Richard’s always doing something interesting and especially real that makes the character come alive." Henry Thomas ("Gangs of New York") was cast as Tim, a friend of Savannah’s family who takes a very active interest in keeping Savannah from harm. Thomas describes his character as "not being an easy person to pin down. He has a son with special needs and he’s going through a divorce, about which he’s not completely honest with people. But he’s a really sincere guy and it’s important to him that he deals with people in a very honest way." "Tim is older in the film’s script than he is in the Sparks novel," Linden notes. "He watched Savannah grow up. We wanted our Tim to be a stand-up guy who’s cared about Savannah and been protective of her throughout her life." Six year old autistic boy Braeden Reed was cast as Tim's son Alan. "Braeden is amazing," Tatum says. "He was an actor from 'jump'. He knew what he was supposed to be doing and then he played with it." The casting agents found Braeden through Phil Blevins, executive director at non-profit agency Carolina Autism. "Braeden learns his lines, practices, and comes on set and performs them flawlessly," Seyfried explained. Dear John was shot almost entirely within and around the beautiful and historic city of Charleston, South Carolina. Synopsis

John Tyree is a handsome, soft-spoken Special Forces soldier visiting his father in South Carolina while on leave when he meets Savannah Curtis: a beautiful, idealistic college student from a wealthy Southern family, who is home for spring break. John and Savannah are from different worlds, but through a chance encounter at the beach, the two meet and are immediately attracted to each other. Their meeting turns into a whirlwind two-week courtship and their feelings quickly deepen into an all-consuming, love. Each finds in the other something they’d never known they were missing. When John is forced to return to his deployment and Savannah heads back to college, the couple promises to write one another. Through a stream of letters, their love continues to blossom and a deeply romantic love story unfolds: until John's continual absense forces Savanah into the arms of another man.

The Verdict "It's a bit of a stretch of the imagination: Channing Tatum playing the male lead in an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks novel. It's an even bigger stretch to expect that combining Tatum with winsome Amanda Seyfried would produce enough chemistry for cinemagoers to actually believe the two come across as lovers. It's a hit and miss affair and doesn't live up to anywhere near the standard we have come to accept from previous adaptations of Sparks's work. He who wrote such entertaining stories as "Message in a Bottle", "A Walk to Remember", "The Notebook" & "Nights In Rodanthe" would I suspect, feel a little let down. "Dear John" is a little like a truck with a dodgey gearbox and an even dodgier clutch heading down a steep hill. Just when you least need it, the damn thing jumps out of gear and the clutch pedal goes straight to the floor. That pretty well sums up "Dear John". It is a sad indictment, but in the case of "Dear John", this is not your all consuming chick flick. Even worse: with sparks failing to fly and a distinct lack of passion, "Dear John" isn't even a genuine contender for the title of 'date-flick'. 2 1/2 STARS." Who Is Playing Who?

Channing Tatum Amanda Seyfried Richard Jenkins Henry Thomas D.J. Cotrona Cullen Moss Gavin McCulley Jose Lucena Jr Keith Robinson Scott Porter Leslea Fisher William Howard David Andrews Mary Rachel Dudley Matt Blue Brett Rice

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John Tyree Savannah Curtis Mr Tyree Tim Wheddon Noodles Rooster (Dan Rooney) Starks Berry Captain Stone Randy Susan Daniels Mr Curtis Mrs Curtis Doctor Pastor

The Production Team

Director Screenplay Adapted from Producers Original Music Cinematography Film Editor Casting Production Design Art Direction Set Decoration Costume Design

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Lasse Hallström Jamie Linden the Nicholas Sparks novel "Dear John" Marty Bowen/Wyck Godfrey/Ryan Kavanaugh Deborah Lurie Terry Stacey Kristina Boden Joanna Colbert/Mark Fincannon/Richard Mento Kara Lindstrom Mark Garner Summer Eubanks Dana Campbell/Kathryn Langston

Run Time 105 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Screen Gems & Relativity Media - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.