Dear John (2010 film)

Plot

Staff Sergeant John Tyree is shot in Afghanistan while serving in the United States Army Special Forces in 2003. In voice-over he recalls a childhood trip to the U.S. Mint and compares himself to a coin in the United States military before stating that the last thing he thought of before he blacked out was "you."

In 2001, John is on leave in Charleston, South Carolina. He meets Savannah Curtis, a college student building homes for Habitat for Humanity while on spring break. Savannah invites John to a bonfire party where he meets her neighbor, Tim, and his autistic son, Alan. Over the next two weeks, they go on several dates and fall in love.

Savannah meets John's father who is obsessed with his growing coin collection and mentions to John his father may be autistic like Alan. An upset John storms off and during a fight accidentally strikes Tim, breaking his nose. Savannah sees the commotion and stops speaking to John. John apologizes to Tim, who offers to give Savannah a message. She spends one last day together with John before his deployment, and promise to continue their relationship long distance, via letters which will tell each other everything happening in their lives.

John and Savannah's plans to start a life together after his discharge from the Army goes awry when the September 11 attacks occur and John extends his deployment overseas. Savannah spends more time with Tim, deciding she wants to build a farm with horse stables to provide therapy and respite for autistic children. John and Savannah's romance continues for two years through their letters until Savannah sends a literal "Dear John" letter to break up with him, explaining she still loves him but has become engaged to someone else.

After being shot in Afghanistan, John is encouraged to return home but he re-enlists for a second time. Four more years pass, and John is sent home after his father suffers a stroke. At his father's bedside, John recites a letter he wrote to him, repeating the voiceover from the start of the film. the letter confesses that the first thing to cross John's mind after he was shot was coins, and the last thought before he lost consciousness was of his dad. Soon afterward, his father dies.

After the funeral, John visits Savannah and learns she married Tim, abandoning her dream of a riding camp for autistic kids because of Tim's lymphoma. She takes John to the hospital to see him and Tim tells John that Savannah still loves him. Back at the house, John and Savannah enjoy a quiet evening together, tempted to pick up where they left off years earlier, but don't follow through. John leaves distraught.

John sells his father's coin collection, keeping a valuable mule coin they found together years earlier. He donates the money to Tim's cancer treatment and he returns to the military, carrying the mule coin as a good luck charm. A final letter from Savannah tells him they received an anonymous donation but Tim died from his illness after only two months of treatment.

Months later, John returns home as a civilian. Parking his bike in town, he sees Savannah at a coffee shop, where they reunite and embrace.

Cast

• Channing Tatum as SSG John Tyree
• Amanda Seyfried as Savannah Lynn Curtis
• Henry Thomas as Tim Wheddon
• Richard Jenkins as Bill Tyree
• Luke Benward as Alan Wheddon
  • Braeden Reed as Young Alan Wheddon
• Scott Porter as Randy
• D.J. Cotrona as Noodles
• Cullen Moss as Rooster
• Gavin McCulley as Starks

Soundtrack

Music

The score to Dear John was composed by Deborah Lurie, who recorded her score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Warner Brothers Eastwood Scoring Stage right after finishing her score for 9. A soundtrack album containing songs was released on February 2, 2010, from Relativity Media Group, and a score album was released digitally the same day.

Release

The film was released on February 5, 2010, in the United States.

Reception

Box office

Dear John has grossed $80,014,842 in North America and $34,962,262 in other territories for a worldwide total of $114,977,104.

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $30,468,614, finishing first at the box office, knocking off Avatar after seven weekends in first place and making it the best debut for a film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

The film was the second highest debut for a film opening Super Bowl weekend, just shy of Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert in 2008.

Critical reception

Critics The film received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 28% approval rating based on 136 reviews, with an average score of 4.50/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Built from many of the same ingredients as other Nicholas Sparks tearjerkers, Dear John suffers from its clichéd framework, as well as Lasse Hallstrom's curiously detached directing." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 from film critics' reviews, reports a rating of 43 based on 34 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Accolades

Home media

DVD Dear John was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 25, 2010.

References

References

1. "Dear John".
2. "Dear John (2009)". [[Box Office Mojo]].
3. Goldwasser, Dan. (2010-01-25). "Deborah Lurie scores ''Dear John''". ScoringSessions.com.
4. Brandon Gray. (2010-02-08). "Weekend Report: 'Dear John' Delivers, 'Avatar' Flies High Again". [[Amazon.com]].
5. "SUPER BOWL OPENINGS". [[Amazon.com]].
6. "Dear John (2010)".
7. "Dear John (2010): Reviews". [[CNET Networks]].