There’s not much that I can say about “chick flicks” that I haven’t already said. It seems to me, at least with the few films of his that I’ve seen, Nicholas Sparks has found a way to break this mold and move in a different, much more positive, direction. While the story doesn’t necessarily pan out the way that the audience would hope, the story takes a journey down a road of heartbreak, death, and sacrifice; all themes that seldom make their way into the standard Hollywood “chick flick.” These themes help to produce a story, while still mushy and lovey-dovey, that, I believe speaks to men and women of all ages. This was a touching film; it shows how the loved ones of our military members suffer through the times of separation. More importantly (and I’m almost a bit disappointed in myself for just realizing this now), this film was one that opened my eyes to the struggle and the sacrifice of the military members themselves. We often hear, especially in this country, of the sacrifices made by service members, however, I feel that it's hard to truly understand what they are going through (at least for people that have never been in their shoes). This film made me understand the sacrifices made by the military members in our country; leaving loved ones, sacrificing their freedom and putting their lives on the line. This film was very much about the relationship between Channing Tatum’s John Tyree and Amanda Seyfried’s Savannah Curtis (a story that I actually enjoyed), but the relationship that I fell in love with was between Tatum’s Tyree and his father, Mr. Tyree (played by Richard Jenkins). Their story, one that began back when John Tyree was only nine years old (at least for us) and continued through the better part of the film, was one of struggle, heartbreak, true love and, ultimately, of loss. This relationship is what helped to make the film as good as it was. I truly believe that I could have done without Savannah Curtis or Henry Thomas’ Tim, as long as the relationship between John and his father was a focal point in this film. Alan, who was played by both R. Braeden Reed and Luke Benward, was an inspiration in this film. His story, regardless of how small and inconsequential, was fantastic and one of the best parts of the entire film. Possibly the most poetic part of the film was when John Tyree read the devastating letter from Savannah Curtis, the letter that ultimately broke his heart. The audience can hear another soldier in the background hitting a punching bag. The sound of the punching reflects that of a heartbeat. We could hear the sound of the fists hitting the bag as John read the letter from the love of his life. While this scene was important to the story and the acting by Tatum was spot on, it was the sound, the echoing of the fist on the bag, that sold me on this particular scene. It was things like this, like the perfect comparison between John Tyree and the coin or the incredible camera angles that signified distance, hope, heartbreak and humility that made this film special. I never expected to like the film as much as I did. I could have done without Savannah and John’s relationship or the fact that they ended up together in the end. What made this film for me was the small, tertiary details and storylines that Nicholas Sparks and Lasse Hallström made sure were implemented in this film. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0989757/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
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