Truly moving

Rating: 10/10 (25 August 2006)

Cast, production etc were excellent, it's the story that makes this film though.
I'm a 6'5", 230lbs, Rugby playing 22 year old male brought up on the Internet and generally as cynical as they come. However I can freely admit I cried at the end of this movie. I can only hope that I some day find a woman I love as much as Noah does Allie in this story.
Rachel McAdams is wonderful on screen; a true delight to watch in anything she does but in this film she really shines. James Garner and Gena Rowlands are both exceptional in their roles, limited by screen time but pivotal in their impact. James Marsden produced an adequate performance, though I get the impression that the writers were trying to keep the movie below 3 hours so had to cut some of his part up, you really don't care that much about his character in any way, apart from how he affects the lives of the main two. Ryan Gosling was good; you really want him to get the girl though I suppose that is the minimum for the role he plays in the film. He was better as pre-war Noah than he was as post-war Noah, maybe the beard didn't allow him to express himself as much, maybe it's because the emotions are harder to express, maybe it's because he's playing the part brilliantly by showing an outer shell that appears impervious to emotions. I don't honestly know, you can make a case for all 3 but really it doesn't matter, his performance works.
This film appears to have been overlooked for awards apart from "Teen Choice", and that really is a shame. I've certainly seen worse performances win a best actress academy award than Rachel McAdams' in this film. I guess that the year this would have been in for is the 2004 awards and Hilary Swank was very good as Maggie Fitgerald in Million Dollar Baby, but I can guarantee that very few of the also-rans can compare to her performance. The film is also very well directed, the music suits the movie perfectly and the supporting cast isn't half bad. Why this film has received so very little industry recognition baffles me.
In conclusion, watch this movie. It's not a brain turn off movie by any means, so if you're looking for an easy ride it may be better to look elsewhere, but make a concerted effort to watch this movie, as and when you can.