The Savory City

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Dear John vs. The Notebook

One of my favorite things to do is to compare and contrast things (it drives my sister crazy). It could be anything from books, tv shows, and movies to people, places, and ideas. As a self-professed film buff, I especially love to draw connections between movies I see.

Dear John (2010)
The Notebook (2004)

The other day, my sister and I watched the Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried movie Dear John (2010). The film was based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same title. It centers on the relationship of a young couple, torn apart by the war after 9/11. As the film progressed, I started noticing many similarities with another Nicholas Sparks novel-turned-film, The Notebook (2004). Being a nerd, I made a chart.

Spoiler alert!!!



Dear John (2010) The Notebook (2004)
Location Setting South Carolina            South Carolina
Time Setting Right before 9/11 Right before WWII
Girl's Social Status Upper-middle class Upper-middle class
Guy's Social Status Lower-middle class Lower-middle class
Length of Courtship A couple of weeks A summer
Girl Goes Away For College College
Guy Goes Away For War War
Mode of Communication    Letters Letters
Time Apart 5 years 7 years
 Complication Another Guy Another Guy

In sum, there are a lot of similarities between the two story lines, they are after all, written by the same guy. I'm a sucker for romantic movies so I liked these both, but I still think The Notebook is the better of the two. The characters have more depth and the actors have much more chemistry (thanks to the then real-life romance between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams). If you have nothing to do this New Year weekend, try cuddling up on the sofa and popping in one of these DVDs for a great afternoon in.