The Memory Play's Tricks

Rating: 6/10 (25 December 2008)

"As teenagers, Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) begin a whirlwind courtship that soon blossoms into tender intimacy. The young couple is quickly separated by Allie's upper-class parents who insist that Noah isn't right for her. Several years pass, and, when they meet again, their passion is rekindled, forcing Allie to choose between her soul mate and class order. This beautiful tale has a particularly special meaning to an older gentleman (James Garner) who regularly reads the timeless love story to his aging companion (Gena Rowlands)," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.
"The Notebook" is a pretty and predictable love story. Mr. Gosling and Ms. McAdams never seemed (to me) like they would age into characters like those essayed by Mr. Garner and Ms. Rowlands. Many times, the younger lovers appear to be modeling, rather than playing, their roles. The older couple is more enjoyable. Garner's performance, and narration, is particularly strong. James Marsden (as Lon Hammond) and Joan Allen (as Anne Hamilton) have interesting, underdeveloped roles. (Ms. Allen may been channeling Ellen Burstyn's "Lois Farrow").
The "teenage", and later, undressing scenes are very funny. And, some of the characters' implausible actions (the 365 letters, for example) could be explained as embellishments and/or enhancements made by Rowlands' character, in her "The Story of Our Lives" account. It is interesting that the lead characters write, at different times, a prolific amount of material to be read at a later time. With the exceptions of Robert Fraisse's photography and Gosling's dirty undershirt, the film applies too much gloss.
****** The Notebook (5/20/04) Nick Cassavetes ~ Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands