I can accept all this, and it gave me extra confidence knowing Lasse Hallstrom (What's Eating Gilbert Grape) was directing - he gives the movie a calm and serene pace - but what kept me at a distance from Dear John was the writing and lead actor. But their epistolary romance must bear the conflicts of the changing world, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, unexpected deaths, and, of course, war (epic romances always need a war). The boy and girl vow to keep in touch the old-fashioned way - via handwritten letters. Just as we expect, boy (John) meets girl (Savannah) girl invites boy back to her place boy asks girl out boy and girl fall in love boy leaves. It's not satirical or self-aware, but faithfully (and proudly) lives up to its genre. Like many of its kind, Dear John is a cheesy, manipulative romance, which is exactly what it strives to be. Dear John is not one of those films, but it came closer than I thought. Some work, but they must remind us why the material was good enough to become formula in the first place. Movie Review: Dear John By Matthew Huntley February 18, 2010įormula movies are only as good as the people selling them.
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