A slice of pure melodrama from author Nicholas Sparks gets a polish by Lasse Hallström, as Special Forces soldier John (Channing Tatum) falls in love with Savanna (Amanda Seyfried) while on leave — but faces hard choices when he returns to his unit. Tatum delivers a decent turn as a former brawler, saved by military discipline and bowled over by a girl; Seyfried has a harder time in a role conceived to drive the plot rather than convince as a human being.
While war, 9/11 and fatal illnesses conspire against them, the pair struggle to hold on to their relationship. The result might still draw a sneaky tear, but while this pair hold a torch for each other, they can’t hold a candle to the best weepies.