Love, romance, tears, and a movie based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks ensue.

Rating: Null/10 (12 July 2004)

Great. Juuuuuuust great. All the years of strutting around and acting macho in front of my friends is about to come crashing down thanks to a 2-hour movie. Mr. Shade, Baker's Dozen, Walker, Carlson ... I ... I'm sorry. I'm sorry guys, but I liked this movie.
I know many guys will never admit to enjoying a movie like this. I'm pretty sure Johnny Betts circa 1993 would've denied it. Admittedly, there are elements of sappiness that would send the cockiest of the peacocks running for the hills. There's soft piano. There are sunsets. There are birds flying in slow motion. There's dancing in the street with no music. And yes, the leads act a little silly at times.
But come on, what guy hasn't acted silly before when he's in love? I'm man enough to admit that Stephanie and I have done some fairly silly stuff in the name of love. No, you don't need to hear any examples. I especially will NOT talk about any dance routines to Kid Rock's "Cowboy." *ahem*
As much as guys may try to deny it, love will change you. I think the moment I knew my life had changed forever was when I let Stephanie talk me into seeing "A Walk in the Clouds." I kept thinking to myself, "I can't believe I'm watching a love story starring KEANU REEVES! This is it. There's no going back. How do I hide this from my friends?" It took my system a while to recover from the shock of seeing a movie that didn't contain Bruce Willis or Sylvester Stallone spitting out one-liners, but I've since been conditioned to handle a straightforward romantic movie every now and then.
And you better believe I have friends who still give me a hard time. "Sheesh, you saw another Matthew McConaughey/Josh Lucas movie? When did you have the operation?" I always try to excuse myself by saying the movie was free or I did it all for Stephanie, but it all falls on deaf ears. Ah well, back to the movie...
This is pretty standard stuff as far as love stories go. Two kids on the opposite sides of the tracks fall desperately in love. Life's obstacles split them apart. The wealthy, refined gal meets and gets engaged to an equally wealthy, refined, dashing young man, while the not-so-wealthy, gotta-work-for-everything-he's-got guy sets out to prove to the girl that he can make something of himself. The two cross paths again one day, and the girl must decide who to choose. Sounds a LOT like "Sweet Home Alabama," except this is a Romantic Drama whereas the former is a Romantic Comedy. There was even a wainchy mother thrown into the proceedings.
So no, this isn't the most original and unpredictable movie to ever grace the screen. Before the movie started, I wrote down exactly what I thought was going to happen. You know what? I nailed it. But here's the important part - that didn't ruin the experience at all. Even though I had a preconceived idea of how everything would turn out, the story is told in such a way that I was more interested in *how* we'd get to the conclusion than in whether or not the conclusion would be as expected. However, there were a couple of times when I had doubts about my theory, and the very end is a little unexpected.
The real selling point of "The Notebook" is the cast. Everybody does a great job. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are really, really good as the leads, and the two of them kept me fully interested in what I was watching. In a movie world full of pretty boys (you can keep Leonardo DiCaprio), Gosling's a breath of fresh air as just a regular guy who you can't help but root for. And McAdam's is very charming as the Southern belle. Easy on the eyes, that gal is. I really bought into their relationship. I'll even go so far as to say they displayed the most chemistry in a couple that I've seen in a long time. Yep, even moreso than Hellboy and Selma Blair. I know, it sure blew me away as well.
I also liked James Marsden's (aka Cyclops) character. I was hoping he'd be a big jerk thus making it a no-brainer who McAdams should be with, but he's actually a pretty good guy, and he doesn't really give you a reason to hate him. And Sam Shepard is very funny as Gosling's father. I just wish he'd had a little more screen time.
I need to point out that James Garner and Gena Rowlands play big secondary roles. You see, the story is being told by Garner as he reads it to Rowlands. So the main story is actually a collection of flashbacks. What is the relationship between Garner and Rowlands? Well, I'm not gonna spoil anything for you.
Garner and Rowlands do good jobs (although I pray I never have to see Garner in a wife-beater shirt again), but I was more interested in the relationship between Gosling and McAdams. In fact, I probably would've given this movie 4 marks, but I was a little disappointed in the last 10 or 15 minutes. The story completely shifts focus to the older folks, and we never see the youngsters again. I really would've loved one more flashback, but oh well. Warning: The very end will probably have a LOT of you reaching for the Kleenex. Pretty touching stuff, but it might not send you home tapping your toes.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got something I've gotta go sew back on. After all, I've got a reputation to protect.
Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)