MADE ME NAUSEOUS

Rating: Null/10 (16 July 2004)

As a card-carrying romantic, I have to be frank; 'The Notebook' stirred my gag reflex. The characters were flat, the story predictable, and the dialog putrid. About 10 minutes into the movie the audience is forced to swallow a scene in which Noah and Allie are lying in the street watching a stoplight change colors-the scene is meant to be meaningful but it is anything but original or poignant. After this stale interaction between Allie and Noah, I felt myself craving dialog with actual depth in lieu of the hackneyed diatribes and empty banter spewing from the characters' mouthes. Throughout the film, Gosling unconvincingly delivers sugary, sappy lines and appears stoic, awkward, and seemingly removed from the situation despite his assertions of love. MacAdams' portrayal of Allie is somewhat unbelievable, yet spunky. Unfortunately, her already mediocre performance is hindered by the horrid dialog. I also found myself confused with the goals of the protagonists. The film wants the audience to hope for a reconciliation between Allie and Noah, but I was secretly rooting for Lon, Allie's fiancé-at least he had some personality! There just wasn't much chemistry between Allie and Noah. No amount of bike-riding and necking will create a spark. This film is supposed to be the sweet story of a man who will do anything for his first love.... But aside from a letter writing stint and a ferris wheel stunt, all Noah really does is stare vacantly and renovate a house. Everything about this film is dull and lifeless with the exception of the sometimes beautiful cinematography and the lovemaking scene where Gosling actually radiates some heat! To the film's credit, I did enjoy the older Noah-Allie couple played by Garner and Rowlands. These seasoned professionals managed to shine despite a shoddy script. Don't be swayed to tears by this disgustingly sentimental film, when it comes down to it, it just doesn't have any heart!