DEAR JOHN

CALI

Let me preface this blog by saying I was very excited to see this movie. I expected a saccharine chick flick but I am game to watch Channing Tatum clench his teeth in misunderstood agony any day of the week...and let me tell you I give him an A for clenched jaw agony and a B+ for misunderstood sexy...but unfortunately the film had some "depth" to it, I say that loosely, and I unfortunately cannot only grade it on his sex appeal.

I was horribly disappointed by this film-though I suppose I should not have expected much. The whole "9/11" angle was trite and done with such little exposition that it was like, wait a second, what is going on??? The love story was "sweet" but made cringe inducing by the SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! settling of the main character to a man who I think was old enough to be her father...and wasn't he friends with her parents...speaking of parents, where did THEY disappear to???? This movie introduced people for split seconds and then had them disappear into unexplained nothingness...which is kind of like the end of the film----a goatee is the explanation that time has elapsed and then, like magic, all is forgiven? I prefer my love stories to NOT have the main characters settling and, if they must (think the Notebook) there should at least be a better reason than Dear John offered. And I'm almost vomiting at the title "DEAR JOHN" as if to evoke a Dear John letter (LAME!!!!)---I would rather watch the Notebook and have my idea of love redeemed than watch this one. The lead actors were sweet but not sweet enough to make me buy into their eternal love. I'd rather watch Channing Tatum clench his manly jaw in Step Up and Amanda Seyfried sing her way through Mama Mia---or, better yet, check her out in Veronica Mars!!!!

Save your money and rent this one if you must.

Grade: C-