This movie brought to you by big business Kleenex!

Rating: 3/10 (16 February 2005)

I am of the utmost belief that Kleenex was a sponsor of this film. It has been a very long time since Hollywood released a "true" tearjerker film, and I know that Kleenex couldn't help but try to get a piece of the action. I know that my wife went through at least ten Kleenex by the time this film was over and she had read the book. Imagine what it would be like for those that didn't see this film coming. I honestly feel they could go through a whole box. Ironically, and corporately minded, I went through no Kleenex as I watched this film, but instead found my mind wandering and trying at any opportunity to search for any chemistry between our lovebird characters. From Garner and Rowlands to Gosling and McAdams, there was this sensation that they were nothing more than actors playing their part instead of the feeling of true love erupting from the screen. Adding to this mess was a mixed bag of story lines that seemed as if Cassavetes was trying to make straight lines out of circles. While this wasn't a horrible film by any means, The Notebook was perfect and its flaws cut very deep into this sad story.
While I think Sparks' characters in his book are probably much better than in this story, I still wish he would have pushed harder for better actors or a bit more story. There definitely seemed to be a lacking on both of these ends that hurt the overall feel of the film. James Garner is old, and that was about the only thing that he had going for him. Rowlands I can give some credit towards, but strangely I couldn't see these two working together. Garner's passion towards Rowlands seems scripted, while there definitely wasn't anything between Rowlands and Garner. It felt as if Garner was working too hard while Rowlands just didn't place any effort. The Kleenex effect only occurred between these two characters, in my opinion, because they were old, and that seems to strike a chord with all of us. Perhaps it is the grandparent effect or the fear of getting to that point in our lives, I felt that tears were shed near the end of the film because of their age, not their acting ability. The same can be said for McAdams and Gosling. McAdams did a decent job with the material given, but the slipping accent of Ryan Gosling was inexcusable and disturbing. Gosling was completely miscast in this film. I don't know if he was Cassavetes first choice for the role, but he just didn't capture the emotions that were deeply rooted in this film. He read lines, gave some expression, but that was all. I saw Ryan Gosling playing the character and not Noah on screen. His eyes are what hurt him the most. They just didn't seem to fit with what the character was trying to convey. Each time the camera moved to his eyes, the film lost more credibility. To build a great film that this could have been you need to staple it with strong players, sadly, this did not happen with The Notebook. Feathers trying to be paperweights instead hold down this story.
Then we have the story. Sparks has a great imagination, and this story seemed like it would make a great story to tell on the written page, but not in film. There were too many loose ends that were not covered or given enough respect for me in this film. Allie's parents are one of them. Allie's dad was hysterical looking as I kept hoping that I would see him whip out some Dapper Dan somewhere in the film. Allie's Mom, Joan Allen, is not given enough time to defend herself and her climactic moment at the end seems a bit forced and boring than emotional. We don't have enough information on her or this other character to really care about her big scene, instead it feels just like "filler". There should have been more with Sam Shepard, who conveniently did not make it till the end of the film. It felt as if he was written away because nobody knew what to do with him. The same can be said of James Marsden's character who arrives, conquers, and leaves with no emotional response. With many of these moments I felt we were given the short, short, short version instead of the emotional powerhouse this could have been. The final scene that I found myself laughing at immensely was the entire "Noah going to war" bit. The emotional scene during this brief interlude was completely forced and implausible. I needed more during this moment to have my heart wretched out of me, and not just a scene to tie up any loose ends. Cassavetes could handle this film, I think he just chose to throw too many elements into the fire that he could not fully develop, which hurt him in the long run.
Overall, this film could have reached new levels, but instead cheapened itself to cater to those with low emotional control (the weepy) and lovers. Everyone in love has their own story to tell that would probably make another person tear up, but that is what makes it your own. Cassavetes did not build a strong film with The Notebook, but instead used common clichéd Hollywood techniques to give the audience what they were hoping for, shallow characters that will make you cry. Well, if you are looking for a film that literally cuts the drama and gives you the tears, this would be the film for you. To everyone else, I say skip it. There are better dramas that will burst your tear ducts longer than this one!
Grade: ** out of *****