Dear John Movie Reviews

This week’s literary movie is “Dear John,” a tear-jerker adapted from the book of the same name by the King of Tear-Jerkers, Nicholas Sparks (who’s a high school track coach in his spare time). It’s a love story interrupted by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Practical Army guy (played by Channing Tatum)meets idealistic girl (Amanda Seyfried), he abandons her to fight Osama, and a “Dear John” letter follows. (Here’s the trailer and official site.) Sparks’ novels have sparked other romantic movies, including “The Notebook,” “Night in Rodanthe” and “A Walk to Remember” — “Dear John” appears to be another weeper. Here are excerpts from reviews for the new movie:

San Fracisco Chronicle -- Sure, it sounds corny. But director Lasse Hallstrom (“Chocolat”) and screenwriter Jamie Linden give the whirlwind romance an appealing, straightforward decency, and Tatum and Seyfried click rather effortlessly. They’re not Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams from “The Notebook,” but they’ll do.

New York Times — [T]he latest attempt to bring his warm, earnest, therapeutic sensibility to the screen, falls in the upper middle range of Sparks film adaptations. the latest attempt to bring his warm, earnest, therapeutic sensibility to the screen, falls in the upper middle range of Sparks film Read More Dear John Movie Reviews