Dear John – Book vs. Movie

I read the book first, and after seeing The Last Song, I was so excited to see the Dear John by Nicholas Sparks on the big screen.

The film starts with John Tyree played by Channing Tatum, a soldier in the US Army, who is spending his leave with his father in his hometown, during his leave he meets Savannah played by Amanda Seyfried, and they fall in love. For two weeks, they almost never leave each other's sides. But John hast to return to complete his enlistment period. They both struggle with a long distance relationship and try to make it work, but unfortunately 9/11 happens and John reenlists.

I think all actors play their parts well and they draw you into the story but the most disappointing part about the film is that it ends very differently than the book. It is always interesting to see how a novel is adapted for the big screen. It is hard to have the same character development in a movie as in a book. I personally liked the book a whole lot more simply because things were described better in there, and the fact that they fell in love after two weeks is a little bit more believable because of the way you get to read their emotions.

Overall, I feel that the movie was good. While not a classic, it was a good way to spend a couple of hours. If you have not read the book, I recommend reading the novel first before seeing the film. I think the story will make more sense and be more interesting.

Dear John Movie Trailer