The Notebook (2004)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Nick Cassavetes

Writers (WGA):

Nicholas Sparks (novel)
Jan Sardi (adaptation)

Release Date:

25 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Behind every great love is a great story.

Plot:

The movie focuses on an old man reading a story to an old woman in a nursing home. The story he reads...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Nursing Home | Carnival | Old Woman | Reading

Awards:

11 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Ryan Gosling	...	Noah Calhoun
Tim Ivey	...	Rower
Rachel McAdams	...	Allie Hamilton
Starletta DuPois	...	Nurse Esther
James Garner	...	Duke
Gena Rowlands	...	Allie Calhoun
Sam Shepard	...	Frank Calhoun
Anthony-Michael Q. Thomas	...	Nurse Keith
Joan Allen	...	Anne Hamilton
Ed Grady	...	Harry
James Marsden	...	Lon Hammond Jr.
Heather Wahlquist	...	Sara Tuffington
Jennifer Echols	...	Nurse Selma
Geoffrey Knight	...	Barker
Kevin Connolly	...	Fin

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality.

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA | Portugal

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:L | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Malaysia:18SX | Malaysia:U (cut) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Norway:7 | Denmark:7 | Sweden:Btl | Netherlands:6 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-11 | New Zealand:PG | Greece:K | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Brazil:14 | Chile:TE | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Boone Hall Plantation - 1235 Long Point Road, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling were both born in London, Ontario, Canada. Walt Whitman, quoted in the classroom scene ("Do I contradict myself?"), had a long friendship with 19th century London, Ontario, psychiatrist Dr. Maurice Bucke, which was depicted in the film Beautiful Dreamers.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Allie goes to Noah's newly finished house to "see if he's okay", Noah is holding a beer bottle in his left hand. When he walks up to the car after she drives through the fence, he is no longer holding a bottle; his left hand is in his belt loop.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Nurse Selma: Excuse me. Come on, honey, let's get you ready for bed

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Assume the Position 201 with Mr. Wuhl (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Opus One

My Favorite Scene was the One with the Geese, not the Gosling

Prior to watching "The Notebook," I was not familiar with the work of the actress Rachel McAdams. She made an indelible impression by sustaining an outstanding performance in this film. Her character Allie is the pivotal role in the film, as she must make the crucial romantic decision on which the story turns. There are few performers capable of evolving the complexity of characterization as achieved by Rachel McAdams.

The film recreated effectively the world of the 1940s in America, including the parental pressure exerted by the well-to-do family of Allie on whether to allow their daughter to pursue a young man from the other side of the tracks. As played by Ryan Gosling, the character of Noah could have revealed more emotional layers. There was only one scene in the film where he really showed that there was something at stake in his love for Allie. He apparently wrote her a passionate letter every day for a year. Especially in the film's early scenes, Gosling could have shown more of the passion.

The other cast members were outstanding, including James Garner and Gena Rowlands in the parallel story. In the two plots, "The Notebook" merits comparison with another outstanding romantic film, "The Bridges of Madison County." As the two subplots of "The Notebook" come together, one of the key characters is Allie's mother. As always, Joan Allen delivers a convincing and complete character portrayal, as the well-intentioned, but conflicted mother. In one of the most moving scenes in the film, the mother opens up to the daughter and tells her story of youthful love and a fateful choice similar to the one Allie herself must face.

My favorite scene in the film: a wonderful sequence where Noah and Allie are in a boat in the backwaters of South Carolina. The waterway is simply filled with white geese. It is a stunning and picturesque moment, among many in this well-crafted film. If there is such a spot in South Carolina, then I want to go there!