Dear John (2010 film)
| Dear John | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Lasse Hallström |
| Produced by | Marty Bowen Wyck Godfrey Ryan Kavanaugh |
| Screenplay by | Jamie Linden |
| Based on | Dear John by Nicholas Sparks |
| Starring | Channing Tatum Amanda Seyfried Henry Thomas Richard Jenkins |
| Music by | Deborah Lurie |
| Cinematography | Terry Stacey |
| Edited by | Kristina Boden |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Screen Gems |
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Release date
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Running time
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107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million[1] |
| Box office | $114.9 million[1] |
Contents
Plot
While serving in the United States Army Special Forces in 2003, Staff Sergeant John Tyree is lying on the ground in Afghanistan, after being shot multiple times with his comrades around him. In a voice-over, he recalls a childhood trip to the US 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 with a group of co-eds for Habitat for Humanity while on spring break, when he fetches her purse from the ocean. She invites him to a bonfire party where he meets her neighbor, Tim Wheddon, and his son, Alan. Over the course of two weeks, they go on several dates and fall in love. Savannah also meets John's father, who is obsessed with his coin collection.
Savannah mentions to John that his father -like Tim's son, Alan- may have a form of high-functioning autism known as Asperger's Syndrome. This upsets John, who storms off. Savannah's friend Randy, who also has a crush on her, makes a comment that provokes John to fight, and he accidentally punches Tim, breaking his nose. Savannah sees the commotion, and stops speaking to John. John later apologizes to Tim, who offers to give Savannah a message. She drives to John's house to spend one last day together.
John and Savannah continue their relationship through letters, and John visits her in her hometown to meet her family while on a future leave. As their time apart start as weeks and turn into months and years, Savannah begins to spend more time with Tim, and decides that she wants to work with autistic children; she plans to build a farm and horse stables where they can enjoy the outdoors and animals. John and Savannah makes plans to start a life together after John is discharged from the army in December 2001 - but September 11 happens, and John chooses to re-enlist. Over the next two years, the romance continues through their letters, and one turns out to be a literal "Dear John" letter, in which Savannah breaks up with John, saying that, while she still loves him, she has developed feelings for someone else - she does not reveal that the "other man" is Tim. In a fit of anger, John burns all of Savannah's letters.
John is later wounded and encouraged to return home, but he re-enlists for a second time. Four years pass, and John is informed that his father has had a stroke - instead of being deployed with the rest of his unit, John is being sent home to be with his dad. When John arrives at the hospital, he learns that his father is alive, but in grave condition. In addition to reading his father articles from coin collectors' newsletter (which Mr. Tyree has collected, along with his beloved coins, for decades), John writes a letter to his father, which he reads to him at the hospital; John's voice-over at the beginning of the film was from this letter, in which he told his father that the first thing to cross his mind after he was shot was coins, and the last thing to cross his mind before he lost consciousness was his dad. Soon afterward, his father dies.
After his father's funeral, John visits Savannah at her ranch and learns that she has married Tim, abandoning her dream of a riding camp for autistic kids because of Tim's fight against lymphoma. She talks to Tim on the phone and tells John that Tim would like to see him. She takes John to the hospital, and Tim tells John that Savannah still loves John; she loves him (Tim), too, but not in the same way she loves John - and Tim can see that. John takes her back to her house and they enjoy a quiet evening together, eating dinner and are tempted to pick up where they left off years earlier, but do not go through with their feelings, and upset, John leaves. John sells all of his father's coin collection (except the valuable mule coin that he found with his father years ago) in order to raise money to help with Tim's cancer treatment. John returns to the military, carrying the mule coin with him as a charm/talisman. He receives a letter from Savannah telling him that Tim died after two months of treatment. John, now a civilian, eventually returns home; while riding his bike in town one day, he sees Savannah at a coffee shop, and they hug.
Cast
- Channing Tatum as John Tyree
- Amanda Seyfried as Savannah Lynn Curtis
- Henry Thomas as Tim Wheddon
- Richard Jenkins as Mr. Tyree
- Luke Benward as Alan
- Braeden Reed as Young Alan
- Scott Porter as Randy
- D.J. Cotrona as Noodles
- Cullen Moss as Rooster
- Gavin McCulley as Starks
Soundtrack
| Dear John OST | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | February 2, 2010 |
| Genre | Various |
| Length | 33:30 |
| Label | Relativity Music Group |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Paperweight" | Joshua Radin & Shuyler Fisk | 3:22 |
| 2. | "The Moon" | The Swell Season | 4:40 |
| 3. | "Amber" | 311 | 3:29 |
| 4. | "Exelsior Lady" | The Donkeys | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Things & Time" | The Wailing Souls | 3:22 |
| 6. | "Little House" | Amanda Seyfried | 3:17 |
| 7. | "The is the Thing" | Fink | 4:25 |
| 8. | "Think of Me" | Rosi Golan | 3:09 |
| 9. | "You Take My Troubles Away" | Rachael Yamagata & Dan Wilson | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Dear John Theme" | Deborah Lurie | 1:53 |
| Total length: | 33:30 | ||
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.[2] 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.[citation needed]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.[1]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.[1][3]
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.[1][4]
Critical reception
The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with some praising the casting, but many dismissing its characters and writing as generic.Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score from film critics' reviews, reports a rating of 43% based on 34 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a "rotten" 29% with an average score of 4.4/10.[5]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Male Performance | Channing Tatum | Nominated |
| Best Female Performance | Amanda Seyfried | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Drama | Dear John | Nominated | |
| Choice Movie Actor: Drama | Channing Tatum | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Actress: Drama | Amanda Seyfried | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie: Chemistry | Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Drama Movie | Dear John | Nominated |
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Box Office Films | Deborah Lurie | Won | |
| CinEuphoria Awards | Top Ten of the Year – Audience Award | Lasse Hallström | Won | |
| Top Ten of the Year – International Competition | Won | |||
| Best Actor – International Competition | Channing Tatum | Won |
Home media
Dear John was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 25, 2010.
References
- "Dear John (2010): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
External links
- Official website
- Dear John on IMDb
- Dear John at AllMovie
- Dear John at Rotten Tomatoes
- Dear John at Metacritic
- Dear John at Box Office Mojo
Categories:
- 2010 films
- English-language films
- American films
- 2010s drama films
- American war drama films
- American romantic drama films
- Films about autism
- Films based on works by Nicholas Sparks
- Films based on romance novels
- Films based on the September 11 attacks
- Films directed by Lasse Hallström
- Films set in Charleston, South Carolina
- Films shot in South Carolina
- Films set in the 2000s
- Relativity Media films
- Screen Gems films
- War in Afghanistan (2001–present) films
- United States Army Special Forces in films
- Temple Hill Entertainment films
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