Weak plot devices, bad casting, ruined an otherwise good romance flick.

Rating: 3/10 (16 February 2007)

All I'd heard of this movie was "It's so good," and "even guys like it, it'll make you cry." Well all of the parts designed to make me cry caused me to laugh uncontrollably. Everything that was a flashback was cheesy, but the good cheesy that you'd expect from a romance movie. The characters were likable (loveable even), the story was engaging, and it had a good pace. But it was completely ruined by the parts that took place in the present.
The old people parts ruined this flick. I'm sure it was fine in a book, but come on! You've got to stunningly attractive young people (McAdams, Gosling) that become the creepiest looking old farts. Did you see their children? MUTANTS! MUTANTS, I tell you.
Come on, you're telling me that sexed up Allie and Noah's are going to produce a litter look like they just fell of the short bus on the way to the mutant registration office. Did you see their son?! RIDICULOUS! It was a seemed more like a weak plot device to have them get old and die together rather than an integral part of the story. It didn't do a damn thing for the story or the characters other than point out how horrible it is to get old. It was like they didn't have anywhere for the movie to go after Allie chose Noah over Cyclops. It should have ended there with Allie painting naked on her balcony and Noah drinking beer and being pensive or whatever it was that he did. WEAK!
Really, I understand that the movie is called "The Notebook", but they could have found a more original/interesting/less predictable/better way to incorporate that. How about cast a couple of kids that looked like they would have been the offspring of two hard-bodied, sexpots, and have them read it after the death of their parents? Or just show Noah as an old man writing it down reminiscing after the death of his wife. Her crackpot dementia turned this movie from what could have been a good romantic flick to having it go down like a geriatric 50 First Dates (which sucked in the first place).
Also, did you notice that Noah only had a southern accent when he had his little cap on? It was lost as soon as he took it off. That was kinda weak too.
Take my advice, read the summary on the back of the box, imagine feeling lukewarm for about an hour and a half then being disappointed, then rent something else. Alternately, have your finger on the Fast Forward button and zip through any scene that has old people in it, believe me, it will be better this way.