Love NEVER Fails!

Rating: Null/10 (3 July 2004)

The Notebook is a film that all married couples should see -- TOGETHER.
I would even recommend it for couples contemplating marriage or in (what they believe to be) a serious relationship. The outcome would certainly be a challenge to their level of commitment.
The Notebook has lots of glitz and glitter from the past, steeped in southern 1940s traditions and class distinctions. It also portrays a potent conflict in human relationships that challenges the characters. The motives in THAT story are noble and difficult to resolve. But beyond the wonderful story of young love and the marvelous cinematography is a story of the triumph of a love of higher purity.
The story, as read by James Garner to Gena Rowlands and portrayed by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams is the centerpiece of a deeper message of the passion that transcends time and the temporary circumstance of youth. This story soars to a greater truth of devotion and refusal to quietly accept the futility that Alzheimer's or dementia usually becomes.
As a determined Garner points out to a young doctor: "There is a point at which science ends and God begins." This motion picture tells that story of what "real love" is all about. Thank you Nick Cassavetes for a wonderful story well told!