Let me just say  it flat out . “The Notebook” could have gone on for days and I would have sat there, totally engrossed.  It sooo set the bar!!   You’d think I’d really relate to “Dear John”,  since, like Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum, I’m in a long distance romance. Can you  think of a better audience ??!!  Sorry,  I didn’t  even tear up. Not once.  That’s bad.

There are 3 problems with this film. Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried , gorgeous as they are, just lack the depth to pull  it off as our tortured lovers.  And sorry- spoiler here-  what inspired her “Dear John”  letter just made no sense at all!!  So the whole story fell  apart into hopeless melancholy after  the dumping. Making  Tatum and Seyfried look even worse:  the evocative, quiet performance by  Richard Jenkins as  Tatum’s dad. Best thing in the film.  Remember him? The Dad in “Six Feet Under”.

Let’s hope there’s more to look forward to in the 9, count ‘em, 9 more Nicolas Sparks books-turned into weepers.  Because this film  deserves a “Dear John” dumping   .

1 star