DEAR JOHN

cast: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried

Directed by Lasse Hallstorm

Distributed by SONY PICTURES / SCREEN GEMS

written by Nicholas Sparks

release date: FEB 5 ,2010

Directed by Lasse Hallström and based on the novel by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, DEAR JOHN tells story of John Tyree (Channing Tatum), a young soldier home on leave, and Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried), the idealistic college student he falls in love with during her spring vacation. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by John’s increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters overseas--correspondence that eventually triggers fateful consequences.

THE PANEL ROOM

A formulaic weepie that might find a few takers , especially among the lady folks. Yet for many, this look like an easy miss or probably be something that they shall save for a rainy day's home viewing.

Built from many of the same ingredients as other Nicholas Sparks tearjerkers, Dear John suffers from its cliched framework, as well as Lasse Hallstrom's curiously detached directing. ROTTENTOMATOES  4.5/10

As far as “Dear John” is concerned, the best advice is just to mark it “Return to sender."  Frank Sweitek  C-

You're more likely to roll your eyes than swoon over this slow-moving and far-fetched love story. Claudia Puig 2/4

"Dear John" exists only to coddle the sentiments of undemanding dreamers, and plunge us into a world where the only evil is the interruption of the good.  Roger Ebert 2/4

I truly wish "Dear John" were a better, less shamelessly manipulative movie, but a couple of the actors got me through it alive. Michael Phillips   2 /4

Nothing to write home about  Michael Sullivan 2/4