The films of John Cassavetes were often noted for their improvisational feel and impressive acting. Finding traces of his signature style in a mainstream Hollywood weepy may seem like a bit of a stretch, and yet it is precisely these qualities that prevent The Notebook (2004, directed by Cassavetes' son, Nick) from sinking into the sentimental abyss that marred its source material. Adapted from a bestselling Nicholas Sparks novel (yes, this is the same man who gave us A Walk To Remember), The Notebook is the simple story of a privileged young woman who falls in love with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks.Before the gag reflexes begin to kick in, I might hasten to add that the story has an unusual framework: it begins at a nursing home, where an elderly woman (Gena Rowlands) suffering from dementia is paid a visit by a man (James Garner) who offers to read her a story. As the film unfolds – mostly in amber-hued flashbacks to the 1940s – it becomes apparent that the older man and woman have a pivotal stake in the story being told.
The main action revolves around 17-year old Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), a free-spirited young woman whose rebellious instincts are tempered by her strict, domineering parents. While summering in the town of Seabrook, Allie catches the eye of one of the local boys, a charismatic lumberyard worker named Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling).
Despite their wildly different backgrounds, Allie is drawn to Noah's open and easygoing nature, and it is not long before the two become inseparable, much to the horror of her upper-crust family.
Eventually, Allie's mother (Joan Allen, exhibiting her trademark steeliness) intervenes, insisting on an end to the romance and dragging her daughter back to the family home in Charleston. While Allie is reluctantly shipped off to university in New York, Noah languishes back in Seabrook, writing his beloved letters every day for a year. Thanks to Mrs. Hamilton, the letters go unread, and Noah decides to give up. Shortly thereafter, he enlists in the army and goes off to Europe to fight in the war.
Once the war ends, Noah, a beaten man, decides to put his all into building the dream house that he and Allie spoke of in their youth. His discovery of Allie's engagement to a rich, handsome war veteran (James Marsden) only fuels his determination, and it is not long before the two cross paths again.
To be fair, the story is filled with enough clichés to sink the boat that Noah is seen doggedly rowing in order to vent the frustrations of his lost love. This has more to do with the source material than with anything else; Nicholas Sparks has not made a small fortune writing subtle meditations on human existence. The Notebook is a soapy, glossy melodrama that gives the audience what it wants and then some.
Taking this into consideration makes the performances of the lead actors all the more remarkable. Making a boat ride in a lake filled with swans seem like a true-to-life experience is a considerable challenge, and it is to the director and actors' enormous credit that they actually pull it off. Ryan Gosling, who holds the dubious honor of having once shared the stage with Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera on The Mickey Mouse Club, seems poised to handle the transition into more adult roles with aplomb. In the more overtly emotional role of Allie, Rachel McAdams gives a career-making performance, filling each scene she's in with a warmth, energy, and spark reminiscent of, well, a young Gena Rowlands, who in turn shows she's still a force to be reckoned with.
Without Gosling, McAdams, Rowland, and Garner, The Notebook could have easily dissolved into a syrupy mess. It is their conviction and vivacity that pulls it back to earth each time it teeters on the brink of sentimentality, and that ultimately makes it one of the year's more enjoyable Hollywood delicacies.
Reviewed by Beth Gilligan
Reader comments about The Notebook
Emily Robinson (offroadgirl69@hotmail.com) writes:
i loved The Notebook! It's the best movie I have seen since A Walk To Remember!
i clung to it every minute i couldn't take my eyes of of ryan gosling! i cryed throughout the movie cause i knew the pain they felt for each other. the movie made me feel joy hurt sadness frustration and joy when she returns to him
Riley (Email address withheld) writes:
This is my absolute favorite movie and I wish that there were more movies like this one out there for my to watch ... and wish could happen to me!
Haley (Email address withheld) writes:
I love the notebook so much..... I've seen it a countless number of times and I've also read the book, I'd recomend it..... it has such great acting and I didn't think it was going to be very good, because I was thinking of the way Rachel McAdams acted in Mean Girls, thinking the snotty teenage girl she was... but she surpirsed me. I love this movie and its just overall the best.
babydriver (Email address withheld) writes:
I really enjoyed this film, not just for the sentimentality of the love story, but the way that everything is put into context by the here and now story of Allie and Noah. The contrast between the powerful emotions of young love and the frustrations and pain of age and illness are what make this film a cut above.
Cande (Email address withheld) writes:
I really enjoyed this movie!!! ...i found it very romantic and entertained and i think that what the notebook shows is called real love ...and this is my favorite movie and I wish this story could happen to me .. but i think is impossible ... i am from Argentina
Jenny Morgan (Email address withheld) writes:
It is by far my favourite movie of all time. It shows emotion and just touches the hearts of all. Also alot of people can relate to the situations put forward to these to young people. I would definately give it a 10/10
Charnele Ringer (Charnelering@.com) writes:
I think that THe Notebook was just a great movie. I mean I just cried like a little girl. It was just so romantic. I wish that I had a guy like Noah Calhoun. I hope that this movie will inspire people to never give up on love
hannah kayes (whatever_loser_323@msn.com) writes:
I abousoulty loved The Notebook...it has the best love story behind it...and rachel mc adams..ryan gosling..james garner and gena rowlands just played the parts brillantly its a fantastic movie and i loved it so much and i would deffinitly recommend it to a friend!!!I wish that i had a boy/guy or man in my life lik Noah Calhoun he is beautiful and the most romantic man i have ever seen in a film.Rachel Mc Adams is so beautiful aswell and they are both so lucky to have each other and they played the parts brilliantly!!!!"If your a bird then im a bird"....."Get in the water..im sorry baby get in the water 1.2.3 get in the water....aaaaaaa"....I LOVE THIS FILM
hush hush now (Email address withheld) writes:
omg, this movie made me cry the entire time! it relates to every emotion you have ever had. i cried and smiled and cried and smiled at the same time! this movie was brought together wonderfuly and it shows how you shouldnt ever give up on your love. 13 out of 10.
Helen Price (Email address withheld) writes:
This is the best film I have ever seen..Ryan Gosling plays a brilliant part as Noah Calhoun. He is soooo beautiful!!!as well as being the most romantic man I have seen in a film. The part on the boat is brilliant..the way he looks at her just melts my heart!! 10 out of 10 for me and then some
Andrew Taylor (Email address withheld) writes:
Swans glide
with the vented
frustrations
of lost love,
warmth poised
and delicate.
Ducks don't.
This is a moor hen of a movie, I liked it a lot.
Add your comments about The Notebook [About]
