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Dear John

EMAILPRINTScreen Gems (Sony)

Dear John reviews
43
6.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 34 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 38 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama  |  Romance  |  War

Written by: Jamie Linden

Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom

Release Date:
Theatrical: February 5, 2010
DVD: May 25, 2010

Running Time: 108 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for some sensuality and violence

Starring Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Henry Thomas, Richard Jenkins, and Keith Robinson

Directed by Lasse Hallström and based on the novel by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, DEAR JOHN tells the story of John Tyree, a young soldier home on leave, and Savannah Curtis, the idealistic college student he falls in love with during her spring vacation. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by John's increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters overseas—correspondence that eventually triggers fateful consequences. (Sony Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

70

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Dear John carefully distills selected elements of human experience and reduces them to a sweet and digestible syrup. It may not be strong medicine, but it delivers an effective, pleasing dose of pure sentiment and vicarious heartache.

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70

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

I'm fully prepared to hear people write off Dear John as corny, sappy, a movie for chicks. But I'd counter that Hallström's old-fashioned idealism about art and emotion is the more important quality shining through Dear John.

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63

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

There's an audience for old-fashioned romance, and Dear John will please most of it.

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63

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Calvin Wilson

Fulfills its mission, which is to be a crowd-pleasing tearjerker.

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60

Village Voice Melissa Anderson

The biggest surprise here is Tatum, whose butch reticence has never been put to better use: His saddest farewell isn’t to his lady, but to a man even more uncommunicative than he is.

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60

Empire Helen O'Hara

A touching melodrama illuminated by a solid turn from Tatum.

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58

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Ironically, they make the bond between John and Savannah look so natural that the ''dear John'' turn in their relationship makes even less sense than it does in the book.

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58

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Hallström's approach to the material is tasteful and restrained to a fault.

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50

Boston Globe Janice Page

Unfortunately for Tatum and Seyfried, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams did a far more convincing version of this same basic dance in “The Notebook.’’

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50

USA Today Claudia Puig

You're more likely to roll your eyes than swoon over this slow-moving and far-fetched love story.

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50

Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey

There's no real depth or texture to the characters of any sort, sentimental or otherwise, and I say that as someone who can be brought to tears by a Hallmark commercial.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle Amy Biancolli

You promised only a slim plot, tidy morals and lovers with quaking loins. It was fun while it lasted.

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50

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

The film has two curious subplots and supporting performances that feel tacked on rather than organically part of it.

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50

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Dear John exists only to coddle the sentiments of undemanding dreamers, and plunge us into a world where the only evil is the interruption of the good.

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50

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

The film, while heartfelt and directed by multiple-Oscar nominee Lasse Hallstrom, is dramatically stillborn.

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50

Variety Brian Lowry

Ultimately, the story feels as if it's killing time before throwing the next hurdle at the couple.

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50

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

If you're just hoping for a little easy escapism, bring your tissues and leave your high standards at home.

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50

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

I truly wish Dear John were a better, less shamelessly manipulative movie, but a couple of the actors got me through it alive. One is Amanda Seyfried.

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50

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

Dear Nicholas Sparks, There's no easy way to say this. But with Dear John, the latest of the five films made so far from your sentimental, best-selling novels, I think our relationship is in trouble.

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50

New Orleans Times-Picayune Mike Scott

The ending of Dear John feels manufactured and patently false. Seyfried tries to sell it, but you can tell that she's having a hard time believing the words coming out of her mouth.

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50

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Halfway through the movie, I decided a better title for this weepie contraption would be “The Hurt Letter.”

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50

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The appeal is there for those who crave formulaic romantic drama, but there's little of interest for a wider audience.

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40

Time Mary Pols

This isn't a love story, it's a misery story that drags on, not to a dramatic conclusion but a tepid moment.

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40

Time Out New York Aaron Hillis

"Chocolat" director Lasse Hallström’s tastefully old-fashioned melodrama has exactly one objective: yanking gallons of cathartic tears out of your face by any means necessary.

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40

Arizona Republic Bill Goodykoontz

Awash in mawkish sentimentality, Dear John still will move you deeply - if you're a 12-year-old girl.

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40

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

This terminally sappy romance delivers heartache, sacrifice, a make-out scene in the pouring rain, and not one but two autistic characters.

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40

Slate Dana Stevens

It's the cinematic equivalent of a plastic-covered couch under a "Bless This House" sampler. And that's not a bad thing, for audiences who have a high threshold for sentiment and a low one for dramatic conflict.

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40

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

What happens when a genuinely dear John gets a Dear John? For the answer, just meander--no need for running or walking--to your local multiplex. That's where Dear John, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, will be meandering on its downward path from sweetly tender to terminally turgid.

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40

Boxoffice Magazine John P. McCarthy

As flat as the Carolina coastal region in which it’s set, Dear John features two gorgeous young actors playing denuded characters in search of more narrative garb.

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38

Orlando Sentinel Roger Moore

Hallstrom and his low-heat stars can’t find the pulse of this corpse.

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30

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

He is meant to be brooding, I think, but Tatum’s vague features read more “meathead” than anguished young lover. He has to carry the film, but he’s the least interesting thing going on here.

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25

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

As for the ladies who think any kind of chick flick is preferable to football, be careful what you wish for.

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25

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Sappy and predictable.

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25

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Dear John is the sort of movie that gives tearjerkers a bad name.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.1 (out of 10) based on 38 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Kristi M gave it a7:
I love all of Nicholas Sparks' movies, but i would have to say this one is not my favorite. Channing Tatum did a wonderful job at his role. This movie makes you see how hard it would be to have a relationship while being in the army at the same time. I still think The Notebook is the best movie made from Nicholas Sparks' books.

P P. gave it a0:
What the heck was this all about? What the heck was the ending? Worst movie I've seen in years, although I loved the Notebook, and also Amanda - I guess I would have to primarily fault the writer and director - don't waste your money or time on this. The movie starts off strong and carries for quite a while, but then totally falls apart into a complete waste of film.

B S gave it a3:
This is the worst love story i have seen in years. I loved the notebook and all of the other work Mr.Sparks is affiliated with but really, How can you have a love movie without love? This ENTIRE movie could have mad a 20 minute short film and been so much better. Horrible. The only redeeming quality the film had was the father son relationship. Otherwise just plain boring, un-foucused, however, It did have a good book. The theater i was at was packed before i went in. The Guys coming out were PISSED. The women were laughing because it was so bad. Yes a few fell in love with it. But i would say 90% did not.

[Anonymous] gave it a3:
The casting for the main actress was terrible. Tatum was convincing but the chemistry was not there with Seyfried. The characters also lacked depth. I couldn't get into their love story nor could I believe they really loved each other after 2 weeks. Huge disappointment considering I'm a huge "The Notebook" fan.

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
The best love story I have seen in years! Channing's acting is outstanding. The audience is captivated by his ability to make them see his heart through his eyes! love it.

Alessandra S gave it an8:
I had been looking forward to seeing this movie for weeks (as someone who is in love with 'the notebook' and touching love stories). I will tell you that it is a tear-jerker. I heard many sobs coming from the audience (ok, maybe many of them were mine). The adapted screenplay attempted to include different storylines in the film, as not to make it your stereotypical love story. They were semi-successful at this. The acting is quite good, especially Channing Tatum who plays a young soldier with many repressed feelings. A couple of scenes I felt Amanda Seyfried's acting was not completely believable but still very good. What can i say, it touched a place deep in my heart, especially the secondary story of John's (Tatum) introverted, lonely father. Enjoy!!

Tony S. gave it a7:
Stephanie Zacharek says it all: "I'm fully prepared to hear people write off "Dear John" as corny, sappy, a movie for chicks. But I'd counter that Hallström's old-fashioned idealism about art and emotion is the more important quality shining through "Dear John." Maybe it's corny only if you've managed to reach adulthood without ever having to say goodbye."

Read more user comments >

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