The Film
When a long distance relationship develops between a soldier on leave and a southern college student on break in the pre- and post- 911 world, it's only a matter of time and a series of letters before the actual "Dear John" letter arrives, and this scenario provides the plot for Dear John. A two-week leave that turns into a whirlwind romance would seem to be enough to fill a movie - as it does well in the WWII film A Time to Live and a Time to Die, but going for more the twist here is that the pair continue to write to one another afterward. This only extends the story and tests our endurance to handle the blatantly over-sentimental tale, as it never offers much depth into their relationship with only passing glimpses revealed. The story, from the writer of The Notebook, is as predictable as an actual break-up letter, except it lacks any apology at the end.
Read another take on Dear John in David Kempler's review.
The Picture
The sandy beaches and a quaint plantation farm near Charleston, South Carolina contrast (slightly) from the overseas locations Special Forces soldier John Tyree (Channing Tatum) travels to during his tour of duty. The 2.40:1 transfer and 1080p resolution present realistic skin tones and clear detail on the beaches and battlefields alike. In some cases, high definition may just offer too much depth of field for this shallow film.
The entirety of Dear John was filmed South Carolina, hence the "slight" contrast owing more to set design than to cinematography or actual location shots. Many films set a different color tone for locations or times a movie takes place. In Dear John, other than flaming propane tanks to create heat waves of the Middle East desert, there isn't a drastically different look. Unfortunately the HD transfer enhances this problem rather than masking it.
The Sound
Dear John is more dialog than battle, however the audio is quite good, with plenty of ambient sounds helping create the various locations, from the seaside to that of a war-torn country. The folkie soundtrack, a track sung by Amanda Seyfried, plays well against the getting-to-know-you dialog of a new relationship. The whole, "I'm not perfect, you're perfect" scenes are difficult to tolerate, but you will hear every plea in the details. The sparse battle scenes also work well with the 5.1 channel DTS HD Master Audio presentation, surprisingly so as very little actual seems to happen up to that point.
The Extras
This is a case where more might not equal better. The sappy and shallow Dear John throws in deleted and alternate scenes, outtakes, and five special featurettes including commentary from the director and two lead actors in the film. The feature on the autistic child actor Braeden Reed and look into Mr. Tyree and the real coin collector Benny Dietz who worked on the film try too hard to tug at your heartstrings, but miss the pull cord. The way they're presented, you wonder why they included those features.
Final Thoughts
If somehow you really enjoy the work of Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, or more likely Richard Jenkins or director Lasse Hallstrom you may still want to think about whether you want to buy the film. The limited sets, cardboard acting and uncompelling dialog don't necessarily make for repeated viewings.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
