Oh Dear, John

Last night Sarah and I went to see the new movie creation from Nicholas Sparks, Dear John. As women and seasoned Sparks readers, we came armed with tissues. Sparks is known for his big love stories, white houses with porches and shutters, willow trees and water.

Dear John is no different. Set in Charleston, South Carolina, the film is a beautiful depiction of love wrought with difficulty. The main characters, John and Savannah, played by Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, are brought together on the beach and it's love at first sight.

However, John is in the Special Forces of the Army, and his two weeks of leave expire. He's off to serve a 1-year tour of duty. The two new lovers decide to exchange letters so they can stay close to one another throughout their absence.

When September 11th hits, John is torn between staying in Charleston with Savannah and extending his tour. Meanwhile, Savannah goes through an unexpected journey of her own that literally left us shocked.

Now, going into this film, and knowing Nicholas Sparks, we were obviously expecting the death of a main character. I'm not giving anything away, but the film actually takes a lot of unexpected twists and turns. John's relationship with his father is a large part of the film, and autism in both children and adults is explored as John's father suffers from it along with one of the children in the film.

Even though the movie ran a little long and had one of those endings that made us go, "Really? What?", I still say go see it. It's Valentine's week and it is a great romance. The chemistry between Seyfried and Tatum is undeniable, and of course Tatum is be-au-ti-ful. And I haven't read the book, but there is some fantastic writing in the film. The movie is really a testament to all of those military families going through this struggle every day with their men so far away from home.

However, I do recommend leaving the men at home. This one's for the girls.