Tatum delivers commendable performance in 'Dear John'

By Kate McNaboe Staff Writer

Letter #108: Dear John (a.k.a. Channing Tatum), We did not think it was possible, but you have proven us wrong by reaching entirely new levels of hotness. Your incredibly defined back and shoulders, strong and sexy jaw, and truly piercing green eyes make Dear John more than worth the obscene price of movies these days. We have come to the conclusion that you must divorce Step Up co-star Jenna Dewan immediately in order to fulfill all of our wildest fantasies. Love, Every Heterosexual Female on the Planet P.S. You would be even more gorgeous if you stopped doing that silly thing with your hair - you should not have bangs. Yes, girls - and guys, if you can admit to wanting to go see it - Dear John is a great movie. While Tatum's ridiculous attractiveness is the most appealing aspect, the storyline is actually pretty good. This dramatic love story is definitely much more successful than the last Nicholas Sparks novel-turned-movie attempt, Nights in Rodanthe, with Richard Gere and Diane Lane, but it did not quite reach Notebook status. The movie pulls out all the stops - love, sex, war, autism, cancer - making it the epitome of a tearjerker. Dear John starts off with a predictable spring break fling between John Tyree (Tatum) and Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried) while he is on leave from the Army. "Two weeks, that's all it took for me to fall in love with you," Savannah writes in her first letter to John when he is back with the Special Forces and she is back at school. "But what's a year apart when you've had the two weeks we had together?" (Although two weeks is a bit long for a college spring break, no?) And what a lovely two weeks it was - the scenes of the young lovebirds frolicking along the beach together and eating dinner with John's oddball of a father (Richard Jenkins) are nauseatingly cute. But, of course, they are shadowed with a sense of impending doom because everyone knows that the two must eventually part due to circumstances. During their time apart, the unexpected events of September 11 (the film takes place in 2001) cause John to quickly return home and struggle with the decision between reenlisting and staying with his girl. This particular part of the movie is the first in a series of upsetting images, reminding us all a little bit of what we all felt on and around 9/11. John knows his duty is to his country, despite Savannah begging him to stay, and the on-again, off-again aspect of their relationship takes a toll on both of them. An awkward and uncomfortable surprise comes toward the end the movie, and the actual ending - which is not what you might expect - leaves a little to be desired. There is no doubt, though, that everyone in the theater will be sniffling and sobbing by the time the credits scroll onto the screen. It is obvious that the directors, producers and writers behind Dear John were very careful about how they portrayed the military pre- and post-9/11. Each army scene - set in vague Third World locations - is politically correct and does not last more than a few moments. It was probably a smart move for them to tread carefully with that. One thing that could have made the movie better, something that was probably explored more in the novel, is showing the relationship between John and his father, who is supposed to be mildly autistic. The two men clearly have a complex and painful past, one without a mother figure, and by the end of the movie the connection between John and his father is even more compelling than that of John and Savannah. Tatum delivers a commendable performance - especially in the scenes with Mr. Tyree, because we are so used to seeing him only interact with damsels in distress - but Seyfried was a tad disappointing. Savannah is too holier-than-thou and doesn't do much to prove that she deserves such a fine specimen of a man (physically and emotionally), and Seyfried doesn't make her very relatable. The one likeable thing about her in this movie, actually, is her hair; it's just so bouncy and long and wavy. Time for a serious moment here, folks, because this movie evokes quite the rollercoaster of emotions. To those of you in a similar position to Savannah and Mr. Tyree, with a boyfriend or family member or friend in the military: What you have endured, what you feel at this exact moment, and what you will experience in the coming months and years make you stronger than many of us can ever hope to be, and you are the better for it.