Spoiler Alert: Were You Really Going to See “Dear John?”

Dearhenry

I got a little riled up with all this young Hollywood/burn outs chatter and had to peek at Henry Thomas’ IMDB listing. What the fuck? He’s in Dear John. I guess you take what you can get and that’s a pretty major movie. But what about his role? Could it, too, be major?

Well, I guess so. Jesus. I stumbled on this enlightening Daily Beast post about how the target audience of Dear John is teenage girls yet the author’s teenage niece and her friends cut class to see it and hated it, primarily because the girl from Big Love doesn’t end up with the “hot” soldier but with her “old” neighbor, Henry Fucking Thomas. Huh?!

A choice quote:

"I don't like how she married the old guy. He had a kid who was autistic, and she wanted to make sure the kid had a mom. I think that's a stupid reason to marry this weird, old guy. She could have just lived with him. She didn't have to, like, marry him. That's unrealistic. This guy is like 30 years older than her. He was an old fart. And she was so young. It was just like—what?"

Well, the age difference is 14 years in real life, but yes, I agree with the living together, no need to marry sentiment. And who knew autistic children were chick-bait?

Many years ago when I was young, even younger than Amanda Seyfried, a friend, Jessica, and I thought making someone see Nell alone would be an awesome punishment for losing a bet (also an awesome bet-loss punishment: a different friend’s misanthropic ex-boyfriend came to our Super Bowl party with his current decade-younger girlfriend and if the Colts had won he would have to go meet and socialize with her coworkers in a maternity ward where she’s a nurse and hold babies. Lucky for him, The Saints won and he won $350, apparently the cost of making someone who doesn’t want to hold babies, hold babies) but we just ended up seeing it together and didn’t feel all that punished (then again, we also willing saw Norbit together). Dear John is 2010’s Nell, and I plan on dragging Jessica to see it. Thankfully, one of NYC’s only movie theaters with discount nights happens to be up the street.

10 thoughts on “Spoiler Alert: Were You Really Going to See “Dear John?””

  1. I guess the old guy is still attractive enough, considering. Really needs a haircut, tho’. I can’t comment on what he chooses to dress like — at age sixty, I go to my job looking like a Thai street vendor.

    On bothersome kids as chick-bait: I’ve noticed this with some young women (and Sensitive Guys eying single moms). It’s a variant on “He’s Troubled, but I can save him,” which plays well in some circles until it proves wrong.

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