Good but doesn't know when to end

Rating: 7/10 (11 April 2018)

Nothing new...... you would have seen this story a hundred times. But what elevates this movie from others in the genre is the performances by Ryan Gosling and Rachel Mcadams . You truly believe they are in love.
That's why the part of the movie set during the 1940s works. What doesn't work is the modern day story set in a hospital. It just feels distracting , butting in the middle. All the time you're just itching to get back to the story in 1940s. It also leads to a long drawn ending where you wish they had ended the movie long before.
The notebook maybe overly sentimental and manipulative for some. But it is not cynical in it's portrayal of romance. It truly believes in the story it tells.