A cool breeze passes through a girl’s long blond hair as she sits on a dock at the beach. Just as her purse falls in to the water, a muscular man dives in to save the bag. And with that splash, an intense love affair begins.

The lovers in the new Nicholas Spark’s adaptation “Dear John” fall in love during the two weeks they have together. John (Channing Tatum) is on leave from the Army, while Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) is waiting to go back to school. They make a pact to stay together when John returns to the Special Forces and so the “Dear John” letters begin.

Though the film later establishes  a story filled with romance and oncoming heartache, the beginning scenes of the couple getting to know each other threaten the plausibility of the story. The connection between the two comes on so fast audiences struggle to believe the couple is truly in love, instead of lust. As the film progresses, the connection between John and Savannah becomes more believable. The connection between the couple flourishes as they write letters to each other and reveal the intimate details of their lives.  

Tatum, whose best performances come from gritty, urban dramas — “Step Up,” “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints” and “Fighting” — is an actor whose good looks sometimes overshadow his performance. His acting potential is as apparent as ever, though, despite the continuing presence of shirtless scenes to appease his female fan base.

Seyfried, who once was the dumb blonde in “Mean Girls,” follows her performance in “Mamma Mia!” with this romantic drama. She is a charming actress with her own dose of strength, as her character stands up to Tatum’s in multiple lovers’ spats.

As the lovers struggle to stay close while John is at war, the audience is acquainted with family friend Tim (Henry Thomas) who watches out for Savannah while John is gone. Tim becomes the third member of a small love triangle that brings the already weepy audience to an outward sob.

Apart from its sentimental appeal, this film does not live up to director Lasse Hallström’s impressive résumé, including “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “The Cider House Rules” and “Chocolat.” In this film, he goes through the usual sentimental scenes and clichés that distract from the honest message about relationships.

The truly powerful moments of the film come from John and his father (Richard Jenkins). Jenkins delivers another incredible supporting role, as he and Tatum combine to create one of the most emotionally devastating scenes. While John is at war, their relationship is marked by such detachment that when they finally connect, it’s one of the most sincere, genuine moments of the film.

Sparks has become the literary genius of romantic tearjerker stories. Though this film doesn’t have the sheer emotional, epic tone of “The Notebook,” it fits into the above-average adaptations of his work. The film has just enough syrupy moments so that audiences — mostly women — will swoon, cry and fall in love with the couple.

Between the moments where Tatum shows off his hard work at the gym and the sweet story between the couple, this film is what every girl is looking for in a romance film, and it may even entertain the boys who lost the coin toss to see it.

“Dear John” was written by  Jamie Linden and directed by Lasse Hallström.