By Hailey Boyle – Staff Reporter

“Dear John” is a romantic drama-war film based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. The movie stars Amanda Seyfried as Savannah Curtis, and Channing Tatum as John Tyree. The film was released on February 5, 2010, and displays a love story between a soldier, and a college student. 

John Tyree is a Staff Sergeant for the US Army, goes to Charleston South Carolina while on leave for two weeks. Savannah Curtis is a college student who is there on her spring break building houses for humanity. After saving her purse in the water, John and Savannah instantly hit it off. The two spend every day they have left with each other and grow towards a stronger and stronger romance. After Savannah meets John’s dad, John gets angered towards a comment she made saying his dad has autism like Allen, her life long friend Tom’s son. This caused John to storm off and accidently punch Tom in the face. The next day they both have to leave each other and Tom agrees to give Savannah a note that John left for her. When she receives the note she instantly goes to John’s house where they agree they will write letters to each other documenting everything, until John gets discharged in one year. 

While both lovers are counting down the days until the year is up, 9/11 happens. After the attack, John decides to re-enlist with his team which saddens Savannah tremendously. Their romance through letters continues, until Savannah stops writing for months. She finally sends one final “Dear John” letter, telling John she had met someone else and they had to break up. John loses his true love and stays in the army, until he is sent back home to see his father in the hospital after having a stroke. After his dad dies John visits Savannah and finds out the other man she married was Tim, who is suffering with lymphoma. 

This movie tugs on many heart strings with everything that is involved. An autistic child, a killer romance breaking up, war, a character with cancer, and a death of an autistic single father. This film is filled with passion and heartache that touches every viewer. The movie shows countless numbers of ups and downs making it more and more interesting. “Dear John” displays a beautiful, love at first sight, relationship that has everyone routing for the two. It makes the watchers emotional from seeing the tragic love story that doesn’t work out.

The film displays multiple things that are very heartwarming. Aside from the heart aching love story, it also shows a struggling father raising an autistic child, soldiers fighting in war, and the death of a single autistic father that loved his son. It goes back and forth from one heartwarming thing to another to create a theme of love, betrayal, and bittersweetness. The sweetness from both characters triumphs the heart wrenching break-up that everyone dreads. 

All in all, the movie “Dear John” is a great watch that will definitely make one shed a tear or two. The movie shows great love and passion throughout and the struggle of two lives just not meant to be.

Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars