When the new Nicholas Sparks adaptation Dear John opens today, confusion will reign across the land. Many fans of The Notebook will head to YouTube to watch a trailer, only to be confused as to when Sparks switched from writing about young buff love to focusing on schlubby middle-aged divorcés. Meanwhile, another contingent will excitedly rush to the theater, buy a $10 ticket, and be infuriated to find a lot of weepy romance when they were hoping for a big-screen reboot of the late-eighties NBC sitcom. How to prevent the anarchy and disappointment that will surely result in this duplicated title? Hopefully this chart will help.
| |
 Dear John, the Movie |
 Dear John, the TV Show |
| Plot |
Beautiful young couple meet, fall in love, and sustain their affair through syrupy, romantic letters while John is serving in the army overseas. |
John Lacey gets a “Dear John” letter from his wife. Depressed and alone, John joins an aptly named support group, the “One-to-One” club. |
| Source Material |
Okay novel of the same name. |
U.K. sitcom of the same name. |
| Leading Man |
Hunky superstar Channing Tatum. |
Schlumpy everyman Judd Hirsch. |
| Target Audience |
Tweens who want to see Channing wearing nothing but board shorts. |
People who were too lazy to change the channel after Cheers. |
| Soul Mate |
Savannah, played by the flaxen-haired Amanda Seyfried. |
None, but John did have a wingman in Kirk, the would-be lady-killer played by the flaxen-haired Jere Burns. |
| Atmospheric Touches |
Sweeping rainstorms. |
Robust laugh track. |
| Will Make You Wonder |
Can love stand the test of time, distance, and tragedy? |
Is that Judd Hirsch’s real hair? |
| Lines That Will Make You Swoon and/or Cringe |
“Two weeks … that’s all it took for me to fall for you … ” |
“KIRK!” |
| For Fans Of ... |
The Notebook, The Lake House, Bridges of Madison County. |
Shawl-collared sweaters, Neil Simon plays, Lipitor. |
| Facebook Fans |
887,175 |
39 |
| Best to Watch When |
You’re out on a date. |
One of your divorced parents is visiting. |
