Dear John (film)

Dear John is a 2010 American romantic drama-war film starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum. It was made by Screen Gems and was released theatrically in North America on February 5, 2010. The film was directed by Lasse Hallström, and it is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' 2006 novel of the same name. It follows the life of a soldier after he falls in love with a young woman. They decide to exchange letters to each other after he is deployed to the war. The movie was filmed in 2009 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Despite receiving negative reviews, the film made a strong box office performance, knocking off Avatar after seven weekends in first place and grossing a total of $114,977,104 worldwide. The film was released on May 25, 2010 on DVD and Blu-ray.

Plot
In 2007, John Tyree, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army Special Forces is lying on the ground in combat gear with multiple gunshot wounds to his body. Coins begin to fall over him as, in a voiceover; he recalls a childhood trip to the U.S. Mint. He compares himself to a coin in the United States Military, and states that the last thing he thought about before he blacked out was "you".

In 2001, in Charleston, South Carolina, John is on vacation. He meets Savannah Curtis, a college student on spring break, when he rescues her purse from the water. Over the course of two weeks, Savannah and John fall in love. John meets Savannah's family, her neighbor, Tim Wheddon, and Tim's son, Alan who has autism.

Savannah meets John's father, a reclusive man who seems to be obsessed with his coin collection (specifically mules), but his genuine interest draws her, to John's surprise. Savannah mentions to John that his father, like Alan, may have high-functioning autism. This upsets John, who storms off, and then gets into a fight with Savannah's friend Randy and, in the process, accidentally punches Tim. John apologizes to Tim, leaves Savannah a note, and then they spend one last day together, parting with, "I'll see you soon then" rather than goodbye.

John and Savannah continue their relationship through letters, expecting to build a life together when he leaves the army. But the recent September 11 attacks make him reconsider the army, and he ultimately chooses to re-enlist. Over the next two years, the romance goes on, through their letters. After a time, John finds himself anxiously awaiting the next letter, but when it arrives it is a Dear John letter, informing him that she has become engaged to someone else. John burns all of Savannah's letters. Despite being wounded and encouraged to return home, John re-enlists. After four more years and many missions, while waiting to receive orders on his unit's next deployment, John is informed that his father had a stroke. When John arrives at the hospital he learns that his father is still alive but in grave condition. John writes a letter to his father, which he reads to him at the hospital; John's voiceover at the beginning of the film was from this letter, in which he told his father that the first thing to cross his mind after he was shot was coins, and the last thing to cross his mind before he lost consciousness was his dad, ultimately the most precious person in his life. Soon afterwards, his father dies.

John goes to visit Savannah and learns that she has married Tim and had to abandon her dream of a riding camp for kids with autism because of Tim's fight against lymphoma. John goes with her to visit Tim in the hospital. Tim tells John that Savannah still loves John and she has never forgotten him. That night, Savannah asks John to stay for dinner. At the table, John asks Savannah why she did not even call him and she says it was because just hearing his voice would make her change her mind. As John goes towards the door, Savannah says "I'll see you soon then". She asks him to reply the same but he replies "Goodbye, Savannah" and leaves.

John decides to sell all of his father's coin collection except the mule that John found, to raise money, which could help Tim in his treatment. Back in the army, John uses the mule as a charm. He receives a letter from Savannah telling him that Tim died after two months and ending with "I'll see you soon, then." Later, John—now a civilian again—coincidentally sees Savannah at a coffee shop and they hug.

Cast

 * Channing Tatum as John Tyree
 * Amanda Seyfried as Savannah Lynn Curtis
 * Henry Thomas as Tim Wheddon
 * Richard Jenkins as Mr. Tyree
 * Luke Benward as Alan
 * Braeden Reed as Young Alan
 * Scott Porter as Randy
 * D.J. Cotrona as Noodles
 * Cullen Moss as Rooster
 * Gavin McCulley as Starks

Box office
Dear John debuted as the No. 1 movie with $30,468,614 in its opening weekend, knocking off Avatar after seven weekends in first place. The film was the second highest debut for a film opening Super Bowl weekend, just shy of Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert in 2008. It is reportedly the best debut for a film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. By 2011 it had generated $114,977,104 at the box office.

Critical response
The film received mixed negative reviews from critics, with some praising the casting, but many dismissing its characters and writing as generic.

Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score from film critics' reviews, reports a rating of 43% based on 34 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a "rotten" 29% with an average score of 4.4/10.

Home media
The film was released on May 25, 2010 on DVD and Blu-ray. It includes an alternate ending in its special features that is more in keeping with the ending of the novel, leaving the viewer to decide which is a more appropriate ending to the film.