An Outstanding Romantic Drama

Rating: 10/10 (11 June 2004)

My heart was ripped out of my chest last night.
I attended a sneak preview of "The Notebook," a new film by director Nick Cassavetes, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.
"Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks" should have given me fair warning that this was going to be a tearjerker, but did I come prepared? Oh no. And by the time the credits rolled, my left sleeve was absolutely soaked.
Some critics will say this film is maudlin. Others will complain that it's manipulative and predictable. But this "Sweet Home, Alabama" meets "The Great Gatsby" tale connected with everyone in our viewing audience.
A test screening agent asked me what I thought of the film afterwards and I couldn't come up with anything intelligent or inspiring to say. I was too choked up, too affected and so I mumbled something incoherent like "beautiful cinematography; an incredibly romantic love story." Needless to say, more appropriate blurbs have since come to mind.
Thanks to the tremendous acting talents of Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands, Joan Allen and James Marsden, I was completely swept up in the grand romance of this story. Once the lights dimmed and the first images appeared on the screen, I gave myself over to the filmmakers. They responded to my trusting nature by making me laugh, dream, hope and hurt.
Twelve hours later, my heart still aches. I can't wait to see this movie again.