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Movies / On DVD / Dear John
Dear John

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Dear John (2010)

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Reviews Counted:127

Fresh:36

Rotten:91

Average Rating:4.4/10

Consensus: 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.

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Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some sensuality and violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 48 min.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Theatrical Release: Feb 5, 2010 Wide

Box Office: $79.6M

Synopsis: A soldier home on leave falls for a conservative college girl. Instead of returning home to her, he reenlists after the attacks on September 11th,... A soldier home on leave falls for a conservative college girl. Instead of returning home to her, he reenlists after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Time and distance begin to take a toll on the young lovers. [More]

Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Richard Jenkins, Henry Thomas

Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Richard Jenkins, Henry Thomas, D.J. Cotrona, Cullen Moss, Gavin McCulley, Jose Lucena, Keith Robinson, Scott Porter, Leslea Fisher, William Howard, David Andrews, Mary Rachel Dudley, Bryce Hayes, R. Braeden Reed, Luke Benward, Tom Stearns, Michael Harding, Brett Rice, David Dwyer, Anthony Osment, Jim Wenthe, Matt Blue, Lauree Bradway, Glenn M. Tatum, Martin Coleman Bowen, Steven O'Connor, Maxx Hennard, Jessica Lucas, Teresa Smith, Shelley Reid, Cenk Otay, Russell A. Turner, Lisa Burrascano, Mary Fischer

Director: Lasse Hallström

Director: Lasse Hallström
Screenwriter: Jamie Linden
Producer:
Distributor: Screen Gems/SONY PICTURES

[See More Credits]

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  • Dear John
    >
    DEAR JOHN FEATURETTE
    >
    DEAR JOHN I NEED YOU TO TELL ME
    >
    DEAR JOHN WHO ARE YOU TV SPOT
    >
  • DEAR JOHN CHOICES TV SPOT
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    DEAR JOHN TWO WEEKS
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    DEAR JOHN IM NOT SCARED OF YOU
    >
    DEAR JOHN I PROMISE
    >
  • DEAR JOHN HE LOVES YOU
    >
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REVIEWS FOR DEAR JOHN

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1 - 20 of 127 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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What starts as a charming anachronism %u2014 pens, paper and the postal service in an impersonal digital age %u2014 becomes tedious as Hallstrom is reduced to interminable, repetitive montages covering the many months that the pair are apart.

Full Review Source: NPR | comment Comment
Jul 4, 2010
Ian Buckwalter
Ian Buckwalter
NPR
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's more Scenes from a Marriage than Dirty Dancing.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
Jul 3, 2010
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

Another "timeless' romance from the pen of Shakespeare-level genius Nicholas Sparks made into a mediocre movie starring pretty young people ...They have an epistolary romance.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
Jun 1, 2010
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Like a couple of hours of channel-surfing among the Travel Channel, the History Channel and Discovery Health. [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
May 31, 2010
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

Achieves its modest, unpretentious goals in an agreeable, likable fashion.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
May 16, 2010
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Of course, there are some things you can always count on in a Sparks adaptation - sandy locations, star-crossed lovers and searing melodrama, all tied in a neat emotionally manipulative bow.

Full Review Source: Flicks.co.nz | comment Comment
Apr 27, 2010
James Croot
James Croot
Flicks.co.nz

Tatum makes what use he can of his two expressions, Seyfried does her best to perk things up and much the best performer is Richard Jenkins...

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
Apr 22, 2010
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

Prettifies heartache and hardship to the point where it barely has any meaning at all.

Full Review Source: Scotsman | comment Comment
Apr 19, 2010
Scotsman

Their romance fizzles out in their letters to each other, and the plot gets lost in the post.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
Apr 16, 2010
Phelim O'Neill
Phelim O'Neill
Guardian [UK]

It's a shame the whole thing resembles a schmaltzy video for a wet female singer, as there's some real pain here and a twist that retains an impact somewhere deep in the chest.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
Apr 16, 2010
Tom Cox
Tom Cox
Daily Mail [UK]

A touching melodrama illuminated by a solid turn from Tatum.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
Apr 15, 2010
Helen OHara
Helen OHara
Empire Magazine

A sucker for a cheap sob, it left me cold.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
Apr 15, 2010
Cath Clarke
Cath Clarke
Time Out

It’s fairly romantic and looks good on screen, but the plot is too slight.

Full Review Source: Birmingham Post | comment Comment
Apr 15, 2010
Roz Laws
Roz Laws
Birmingham Post

The more the barriers between John and Savannah build up, becoming seemingly unmovable, the more you want to see them get back together - that's what keeps Dear John engaging until the credits roll.

Full Review Source: Digital Spy | comment 1 Comment
Apr 15, 2010
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds
Digital Spy

The pair have got real chemistry and the long-distance love angle works nicely. Then a rubbish subplot involving illness, needy children and horses comes along, and the film spoils faster than a fish finger behind a radiator.

Full Review Source: News of the World | comment Comment
Apr 15, 2010
Robbie Collin
Robbie Collin
News of the World

This is a slothful weepie, plagued by a sickly mishmash of plot strands and a gaping chemistry hole at its core.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
Apr 15, 2010
Matt Mueller
Matt Mueller
Total Film

But this is a movie that tries too hard to cover the tearjerking bases, and in doing so manages to miss every single one of them.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
Apr 15, 2010
Rich Phippen
Rich Phippen
Sky Movies

It's not that I don't believe in love at first sight; I do. But this love is so sugar coated and sickly, I just didn't believe in it for a moment.

Full Review Source: Future Movies UK | comment Comment
Apr 14, 2010
Coco Forsythe
Coco Forsythe
Future Movies UK

Insultingly uninspired chick-flick fodder.

Full Review Source: Little White Lies | comment Comment
Apr 14, 2010
Adam Woodward
Adam Woodward
Little White Lies

Once-talented director Lasse Hallström is definitely counting the cash here, while Amanda Seyfriend, Richard Jenkins and even the less substantial talents of Channing Tatum are wasted...

Full Review Source: Ultra Culture | comment Comment
Apr 14, 2010
Charlie Lyne
Charlie Lyne
Ultra Culture
 
 
1 - 20 of 127 (sorted by date)
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LATEST NEWS FOR DEAR JOHN

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February 21, 2010: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Shutter Island Takes the Weekend
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio scored the biggest openings of their careers with the psychological thriller "Shutter Island," the fourth teaming between the two men, which easily led the North... More...

February 7, 2010: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Finally Toppled by Dear John
This weekend in a surprise upset victory, the new romance saga Dear John booted seven-time champ Avatar from the number one spot at the North American box office powered by young women chasing after... More...

February 4, 2010: Critics Consensus: From Paris With Love Is Not Bon
This week at the movies, we've got Gallic gunplay ( From Paris With Love, starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and some sad pen pals (Dear John, starring Channing Tatum and Amanda... More...

February 1, 2010: Nicholas Sparks Talks Dear John
Hollywood loves to turn Nicholas Sparks books into movies -- the upcoming "Dear John" is one of six Sparks film adaptations. Read what he has to say about the Amanda Seyfried/Channing Tatum romance in... More...

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