DEAR JOHN

I am not normally part of the target audience for a Nicholas Sparks romantic tale. Having said that, I find it rather amazing that I liked much of what I saw in “Dear John.”
Nothing ever chances in the romantic film genre – it is basically, boy meets girl, boys get girl, boy loses girl and then the happy or sad ending.
I won’t tell you which it is for “Dear John.”
What made this film work for me was not the chemistry between the two young lovers, Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum; this was a story driven by the actions of two supporting actors. Henry Thomas, the child star of the 1982 classic, E.T. , is a most interesting character; we want to know more about this good hearted guy, with bad luck besetting him at every turn.
Long time character actor, Richard Jenkins, does a great job as the
“strange “ dad of the complex John.
This would be a pretty ordinary tale without these two actors giving it that extra push and making it a worthwhile movie.
Your life won’t be harmed if you don’t see “Dear John,” but it could be enriched if you do and the credit for that goes to the work of Thomas and Jenkins.