RUTHERFORD AT THE MOVIES: 'Dear John'
Promising Character Interaction Fades from Cliché Laden Wrap
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) -- Sometimes you have to disagree with the majority. Normally, tear jerking romances get bashed as too emotional, too sentimental, and too passé. Audiences often counter (particularly females) with nervous sobbing laughs. That’s the case with “Dear John.”
Long distance relationships have been a screen favorite. Insert military induced separations and you have a sub-genre.
This one is relatively simple: A Southern woman with morals and character, Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) meets a formerly “bad boy” special forces member named John (Channing Tatum ) after he jumps in the water to rescue her purse. Though seemingly attached, Savannah quickly falls in lust with John, who’s home on leave from the armed forces.
Two weeks later, the lust has germinated into mutual red roses, but the lady will be blue for a year while he’s off doing Green Beret things overseas.
Savannah grapples a promise out of John: Write me and tell the truth in the year we spend apart, so we will know everything about each other when you come back. She tells him that his “letters” will become “him,” and each one will be a conduit by which he returns to visit his ‘girl’ while serving his country.
Movies have a special component in glorifying long distance relationships: They can cross focus on each separated character, thus, the viewer knows what the other half of the couple does not. Grab a hankie. This one has Savannah easy and happily grappling with the first portion of the separation which coincides with her college studies. It’ll be harder during holidays and breaks.
Which awkwardly goes to the semi-missing juggler of “Dear John.” Dramatically, I can appreciate where a quick, seemingly sudden break ‘works’ for the cinematic story-telling process. But, I’ve read enough screenplays or watch enough films to not let filmmakers off the hook with a slap on the wrist.
Concentrating on John’s dodging bullets, suicide bombers, and snipers, we’re not let in on the conflict gushing rapidly to the surface after John’s unpopular decision to re-enlist following buildings falling, airplanes crashing, and the Pentagon attacked on September 11, 2001.
Is this supposed to be a Venus and Mars thing? She lets that dumping feeling gradually emerge until she can put the words on paper? Of course, a lack of dissatisfaction gradually erupting has not been depicted in the picture. Didn’t I say that one of Hollywood’s advantages with these long distance romance genre entries is the ability to show the lives of both of those separated. Somebody dropped the ball or a hammer on Savannah’s heart.
Don’t blame Seyfried either. She’s still the 21st Century modified Southern belle who builds homes for the poor in between classes and socialite events. Suddenly, the non smoking, non drinking, no sleeping around breezy, semi-serious college gal has creases on her brow, cocktails in her hand, and optimism turns to pessimistic. Guys (filmmakers), we need to see a little of this emotive conflict. It’s a male kind of closure --- why?
Tatum resorts to the strong silent hold the emotions inside career officer, except he’s already taken the big plunge, he let her into his heart. Burning letters, cursing, and drinking won’t make her go away.
ASIDE:
The rapid e-mail and long distance advances have nearly mooted letter writing. But, “Dear John” has no other option --- he’s assigned to classified locations; he can’t tell his location. Writing is the only communication … and, it ‘s unreliable, so he asks that letters be numbered.
Once upon a time, I made a similar promise to a young beautiful optimistic woman. Neither of us were in the military, but her summer job meant nearly four months apart, especially since I had a well ingrained post traumatic induced driving phobia due to a fiery hit from behind accident.
She made it seem no hurdle. We supplemented the letters with twice a week phone dates. One would have difficulty discovering a romance to compete with that imaginative, lonely, yet together, summer.
After we exchanged the formal getting to know the names of relatives step, next came descriptions of the routine. How to instill a little inspiration in what could have been simple repeated recitations of a countdown of days? We had a favorite play. It related to loneliness. As the ‘down’ times came, she resorted to extensions from the production. It may have been a little childish for two adults, but, the familiarity with ‘characters’ enabled us to handwrite a Pandora-esque world inhabited by an invisible six foot pooka (magical rabbit).
And, as the countdown continued, our anxiousness increased. Where leaving in May, I had doubts about a real reunion. By June, I knew I would “see her in September,” as she did me. My pen flowed most during the loneliest of moments, such as eating alone at a restaurant. I wasn’t alone, with paper and pen my true love was there with me and in a matter of days, she would be reading that which I would write.
RETURN TO DEAR JOHN
Personal recollections aside, “Dear John” (the flick) stretches cinematic coincidental timing to the max. When too many elements depend on ‘fate,’ especially after ‘fate’ strategically interfered too often, you can almost see the screenwriter pulling the couple’s strings. I’ll give them the first half plus, but reality stretches gradually melt until encounters burst with disingenuous sincerity.
To be more analytic would hit spoiler junction (if you don’t already have it nailed), so, let’s give “Dear John” an ‘A-‘ for the opening and set up, a ‘D-‘ for the latter stages, and a ‘B’ for interweaving the romantic songs.