A romantic drama about a soldier who falls for a conservative college student while he's home on leave.Dear John is a 2010 American romantic drama-war film starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. It was released theatrically in North America on February 5, 2010. The film was directed by Lasse Hallström, and it is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks's novel of the same name. It follows the life of a soldier (Channing Tatum) after he falls in love with a young woman (Amanda Seyfried). They decide to exchange letters to each other after he is deployed to the war.