Dear John (2010)

Dear John is a romantic drama that tells the love story of John, a young soldier played by G.I. Joe and Step Up star Channing Tatum, and Savannah, a college student played by Mamma Mia and Jennifer’s Body star Amanda Seyfried.

Eye candy aside, the story is basically this: “bad” boy meets girl, they fall in love, bad boy becomes good boy, but then, life happens. In my opinion, after A Walk to Remember, this was the next most tolerable movie based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

I don’t want to give a review on how the movie was played, or how the actors portrayed their characters, because it is a Nicholas Sparks movie, after all. You walk in the movie house and you know what to expect - a love story that usually is also a mush fest. All the Sparks elements are there - the small town setting, the “symbolism” of their love, and the “tragedy” that will test their love for each other. In the middle of the movie, you start to play a guessing game. Which of these characters will die (because it’s almost a Sparks’ trademark already)? How will the lead characters overcome whatever inevitable tragedy befalls them, and move on?

However, this one was still able to surprise me. Despite following the basic formula for a Sparks drama, the film managed a bit of variety that somehow made the film more “ok” than “too mushy.” (You’ll have to watch it to find out!)

That didn’t prevent me from wondering what the heck hit me to watch this movie while walking out of the movie house as the credits rolled though. Others may feel vulnerable, ready to feel the emotions that comes with what they see as falling in love. Some, like me, believe that the 160 pesos for my ticket was best spent appreciating Channing Tatum while he was surfing, or working out, or just wearing that crisp army uniform.

By the way, belated happy hearts day to all!

(The film managed to knock off Avatar off it’s perch atop the US box office for one weekend, with a strong showing on Super Bowl weekend - a clever move on the part of the studio, as they also timed the release near Valentine’s Day. - Ed.)