User Reviews

"The Notebook" is an American 2-hour movie from 2004, so this one is also already way over a decade old now. It is considered to be a defining movie of the 21st century when it comes to romance, heart-throb and cheering for the characters to become a couple. Lead actors Gosling and McAdams were a couple themselves back then and their performances in this movie made it possibly hard to believe that they split up sooner than later. Many still remember that kiss at the MTV Movie Awards as something truly special that no other awards show from that year had to offer. But first things first: The director is Nick Cassavetes and he is the son of Gena Rowlands who plays a major supporting character here. Another major supporting character is played by the late James Garner. He received an SAG Award nomination for his portrayal and this may have been the closest he ever got to becoming an Oscar nominee, at the tender age of 75 and after almost 50 years in the industry already. The four actors I just mentioned are probably what you can consider the core of the film, the heart and soul. Connolly adds some solid scenes in the first half, Schaff in the second half. These 120 minutes are certainly the most known work for Cassavetes as well as for the two writers Leven and Sardi, even if one of them received an Oscar nomination for the Oscar-winning "Shine".

So yeah, this film here is really really famous to this day. It was not as much as a box office success as you may think, but still made roughly 50 million more than it cost. I'd imagine it to be a huge magnet for couples, but apparently many of the guys refused to join their girlfriends and it is definitely a movie that is appreciated more by females than by males, possibly because the concept of eternal love and mastering all the hurdles on the path to happiness is a plot subject that female audiences appreciate more with their approach to romance. Anyway, I quite enjoyed the watch here. I do believe the first 90 minutes of the film had occasional struggles in terms of coherent and realistic story-telling, but there were also scenes that made more than up for it, for example the meeting high up in the air when he asks her for a date facing somewhat playfully the danger of suicide. This was one of my favorite scenes from the Gosling/McAdams moments. The short inclusion of war was a bit random as it was too much of an important subject to be rushed in, even if something crucial happens there and it's fine I guess as the story is about love and not politics or war. And besides, it helped putting the film into perspective in terms of what time we were at what point in the movies. There were other good and not so good scenes and it probably depends on your personal preference which ones you like more and which ones will do nothing for you. For McAdams, it has been a pretty good year recently as she managed her first Oscar nomination and Gosling seems on course to winning his first Golden Globe this year, which means the protagonists in this film are far from forgotten.

And this especially includes the previously mentioned James Garner, who left us a very touching portrayal of an old man struggling with his place in life now that his beloved wife seems to forget him because of dementia/Alzheimer's. These moments when she remembers him are still what he has that connects the two (apart from the children of course) and what makes his life worth living in the face of his own health problems. I personally do not think that the plot twist about who the old people are is what the movie is about because it can be understood and predicted quickly anyway. It is much more about who they have become and the glorious and happy moments take place in the years that we do not see on screen. What we see is just how they got together / are together. So yeah, the last 20 minutes or so have to be among the most touching stuff you will see from the 21st century. Garner shines and Rowlands plays her part very well too. And the story will certainly make your eyes wet. Nicholas Sparks at his best (apart from A Walk to Remember possibly, one of my favorite films of all time). What can I say? You have to experience it yourself to feel the pain, but also to feel the positive moments that make love the best thing in the world. I also believe that these final moments of the film show us how good the flashbacks were and that they did leave a mark for sure, even if you may not have felt it as strongly while watching these scenes from the 1940s and 1950s for example. You may not be amazed by what you see there, but it's essential to really appreciate the ending. Overall, I think this was a film that is good throughout the entirety and turns great at the end, which makes it one of 2004's best. Of course, I connected especially strongly with the film as I find Alzheimer one of the saddest things ever, but still it was an extremely rewarding watch and it's impossible to not feel anything while seeing it. I highly recommend to see it (if there's still people out there who haven't). And make sure you have your girl next to you and lots of tissues.

Often times when a movie comes from source material such as a novel that did well, the people who were fans of the book end up not liking the movie as much. Sometimes those same fans even end up hating the movie, or not even giving it a chance by seeing it. Such was the case, that I already knew the ending of Nicholas Sparks's novel even before I got into the theater. Let me clear up though, that the best thing about the film was that I ended up getting wrapped in the story on the screen, rather than sitting there thinking to myself what part of the story should be coming next. That is what makes a great adaptation, when you can get lost in the story, and forget about your thoughts, or what is going on in the outside world. Not only that, but the film soared past any expectations that I had for it from the start too, by being very well Directed and acted.

Best known for his acting credits, Nick Cassavetes was tapped to direct this film. His past experience, which didn't consist of very many films includes the Denzel Washington film John Q. This was not going to be an easy task for him though, because the story was built on us believing the love that the main characters of the film would be showing was real. It?s not as easy as it sounds, and some films (like Star Wars Part 2), end up making the audience laugh, rather than feel what the characters are feeling. He did a great job, and helped put together a great cast for this film that would end up including Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, and Joan Allen. All actors who have found their niches before, and were brought in to this film to help carry the story.

Gosling is best known for his role as "Richie", one of the kids, in Murder By Numbers. He brings a great innocence to the role of Noah Calhoun in the film, one of the two main characters. Rachel McAdams plays the other half of the duo as Allie Hamilton. She was actually one of the leads (Regina George) in an earlier Summer movie, Mean Girls. At the heart of this film the couple represents the love story that is being told by James Garner's character. He reads from a book , the story of the two lovers as they go through everything life has to offer. Gena Rowlands plays the lady that he is reading to, and she gets as wrapped up in the story as we do, as he progresses from chapter to chapter in the novel he is reading. Garner was perfect for this role, and shows his narrating skills as he explains how the two of them live.

Meanwhile, in the story, Noah and Allie meet in one of the cutest scenes of the movie. He sees her at a carnival, and knows right away that he wants to be with her. He does not know quite why at first, and all he can say is that something inside of him is drawing him to her. He convinces her to give him a chance, and she eventually agrees to give him the date that he seeks. What progresses from there is a Summer romance that goes through all of the emotions that we all have experienced before. What makes it even more real, is that it is not played off as if every single moment is perfect between the two of them. It depicts that they do have fights, that they do have disagreements, but that they do have a love that is stronger than any of that. This is what made the romance real for me. Everyone knows, that in real life we can't have a relationship where everything works out perfectly, or where everyone agrees on everything.

The romance blossoms, but a problem exists that could spell trouble. Noah is from a one- parent family, and sees himself working at a lumber-yard for the better part of his life. He says that he has found his place in life, and this is what the "cards" have planned for him. Allie on the other hand, come from a very well-off family, and is being brought up in a rich societal circle. Her family is spending her 17th Summer in the small town by the sea, and first comes across Noah by pure coincidence. The romance between them is kept under wraps for quite a while, until her parents find out. The mother immediately thinks that is should end, but the father feels that it is just a summer "thing" that will come to an end rather quickly. That is, until she is out late one night with Noah, and he takes the side of his wife. They see no future between their daughter and this "boy", and take her away from him the first chance they get.

That coupled with the outbreak of World War II keeps them apart for a couple of years, and the story really gets underway. Will their love be able to endure the separation, or will one of them move on to something that is easier in their own lives? The story becomes an epic of its own, as its starts to split time between the story being read, and the story of Garner and Rowlands living in the present day. This is what I love about films like these, as we are given the opportunity to enjoy two different stories going on at the same time. The love shown by Noah and Allie is something that envelopes us, and it makes us forget about the current story. By going back and forth, we are able to look forward to where each of the two stories is going. All of it leads to an ending of each story that is both very enjoyable, and very emotional at the same time.

As I said before, sometimes a book can fail to transition to film. This is not one of those cases, as the movie instead becomes its own entity. Both stories have great chemistry between the characters at the center of them. It is amazing just how well the actors/actresses in the parts play their roles, and just how much we as an audience start to care about their lives. As it progresses, we truly care about what will happen to the main characters, and we have in our own minds how we want things to turn out. It is that type of film, where we start to become part of the story, and want them to act or say something specific, that truly makes a great story. Even though this is a movie that is heavily geared to lovers of romance novels, this is a film that I found very enjoyable. I highly recommend seeing this film while it is in theaters, or purchasing it when it hits DVD, because it has everything that is needed for a truly great love story.

I think most of the folks who rated this movie between 1 and 3 stars have pretty much nailed the reasons why this film was bad-to-mediocre.

Ryan Gosling looked and sounded like he was straight out of L.A. Hands down the worst casting in the movie. Gosling seemed like he *might* be able to act in a movie with a title like, say, "Hey, Dude, Wha's Up", but that's about it. The guy has the energy of a turnip. At one point, I thought he might possibly be a step away from being stoned.

Gosling's character's on screen relationship with Rachel McAdams appeared to be relatively chemistry-free. But that might also have been due to the lame script. Some of the lines were hard to take seriously. Still, it would have been nice if Gosling, in particular, had tried.

The movie reminded of a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, but with poorer production values. And the film seemed to be about the '30s and '40s as imagined by someone contemporary. Hence, there is no hesitancy about a woman sleeping with someone she barely knows (and to whom she is not married), blacks and whites cheerfully intermingle everywhere--this contemporization of a much earlier era was distracting.

Also, I never understood why Allie falls for Noah in the first place. Noah is an immature doof--endangering himself and others on the ferris wheel, talking to Allie later on like a would-be stalker, and then, when they do go out, lying in the middle of the street. And when Allie tells Noah she doesn't want to lie in the middle of the intersection, Noah pulls the manipulative old, "Your problem is you just don't let your self have any fun."

Maybe her problem, Noah, is that she has common sense and you don't?

According to the young lovers, all they do is fight. And they have nothing in common. But hey, as the movie shows us, they're physically attracted to each other. And that is enough to produce a great and enduring love.

Now there's a wonderful message to send the teenage girls who must be watching this film.

And finally, the movie shows Allie's fiancé, Lon, as a wonderful guy. Mature, hard-working, with a string of virtues already mentioned by another IMDb poster. And Allie is in love with him. I cannot fathom why she would be more attracted to Noah, with whom she argues and has nothing in common (except sexual attraction, evidently).

I did think James Garner did a decent job with the script he was given. But it was all too little too late.

Girl meets poor boy and they are kept apart by mean stereotypical rich parents. She then gets engaged to a very nice man and sees it fit to cheat on him with her ex. But it all ends well because she is SO IN LOVE with her ex. I don't think that helped her fiancé very much...

I can't understand why this film is so popular. Perhaps it is because it lets women feel like anything they do is justifiable as long as they do it for "love". It encourages selfish behaviour and revokes any responsibility in favour of instant gratification.

Besides that, it was all very predictable and slow.

Finally, speaking as a woman whose grandfather had serious dementia, I think it was really really ridiculous that he would confuse and upset her daily like that just for his own selfish needs. Anyone who has been around dementia sufferers would see how unkind/not at all plausible this story line is.

There are 101 pages of reviews of this film, so why write another one??

Well cause its Jan 2012, and tonight a fourteen year old girl sat with her dad and watched this film for the first time. She isn't a 'cryer' as such, in fact she hardly ever cry's whilst watching films, this one she did. More than that, when I asked what she thought she simply put her hand to her throat and mumbled the words... 'hard to breathe'! This film will leave you finding it hard to breathe.. it's simply that good. Ryan and Racheal are good.. but for me young Mr Garner steals the show.. he is what makes the film for me.. his reading of the story is breathtaking.. and there is one line that has stayed with me since the very first time I heard it... "well thanks doc, you know what they say, science goes only so far, and then comes God.."

If you haven't seen this film yet please, please take the time... my little girl was stunned by how good it was and she is very critical at times.

As for me.... twentieth time of watching.. and dad still cried at the end..

I think, for me, this movie can illustrate some of the difficulties in creating a romance drama that is very effective. This movie is a finely crafted and beautiful work of art. The story and the film-making are keen on providing a sense of profound happiness and energy into the concept of love, one that is both healing and outgoing.

However, some various problems arose for me with the exposition of the characters. I was simply not attracted to either of the characters. They got together too quickly, too loudly, and from there I couldn't really feel love for them even though I could feel their love for each other. Does this fall into personal taste, or does this fall into shortcomings of the story? Well let's take a look, for a moment, at how they got together, that scene with the ferris wheel. It was loud, it was out there, and it was pretty obnoxious, honestly. Does it connect with us, the viewers, at a level where Noah's actions are reflections of what we secretly desire to do, to climb and to jump and to yell and to make sure she promises to notice us at all costs? Or is it simply brash and contrived, a character that is so outgoing that he represents anybody who is impulsive, albeit completely honest about his feelings and completely persistent in his emotions? Or Allie, is she honestly someone that guys would fall in love with, the person we can imagine as "The One?" Of course at this point somebody will probably think I'm reading too much into them, or I'm just not accepting the movie for what it is, or anything along that line, but in the nature of film criticism I want to ask, what is the purpose of movies like these? As an entertainment medium, it connects us with the idea of "love", the one, the search for that precise person that the two characters find in each other that loves each other and can love forever, something that is needed especially since the world gets so cynical now.

So why am I just completely not in love with those characters? It's a good movie. What I liked especially were the opening shots and that entire scene involving the swans and the rain, which were indeed very romantic. The story was very touching. I just didn't like the characters. I think the real dilemma is that they had too much dialog. Sometimes they spoke when honestly they should have been a bit quieter; and I'm not talking about the first sex scene. That scene was actually one of the movie's strongest moments, one that was more honest about the anxieties for those two young lovers and the implications of what they were doing. I'm talking about moments in the film where all the characters needed to do was share a look, and instead they shared some dialog and it brought me away from the idea that they were truly connected on a deeper level.

--PolarisDiB