Now is the time to say it: All you need is love

Rating: 9/10 (31 March 2005)

I was, when I saw it some weeks ago, and still am amazed with this movie. I'm talking about one of the best romantic movies I've ever seen. The romantic movies that combine that passionate loved with drama and a perfect chemistry between the leads.
My God! Rachel McAdams looked gorgeous in this picture; that's one thing that had to be said. Her performance was also great, for the kind of character she was playing (I'm saying this because of the other characters she has played; superficial sometimes). She can actually act, and this role is going to give her the opportunity to grow, although it was not recognized. I'm not saying it was overlooked, but it was impossible. Ryan Gosling got the performance of his life as Noah. He has chosen interesting roles in the past, but didn't have the chance to shine. Every move he makes here is perfect; his performance is flawless (although, as McAdams, impossible to be recognized). His way of talking remind me of Sylvester Stallone, when he played Rocky in the first film of the anthology; a little bit rough and dumb, but the perfect sum for a person in love. Anyway, the movie depended on the chemistry between the two young actors, and they didn't disappoint at all.
The pros, Garner and Rowlands, have the same chemistry Gosling and McAdams have, only that they are older. Garner has been recognized with the Screen Actors Guild, for his whole career, and with his performance as Duke, he closes a cycle of an entire career. Rowlands seems pleased to be working with his son; who must admire her for everything she has done. Her work is remarkable, as Nick's. I heard Cassavetes directed this film because he wanted to. He hasn't got a great career as a director, but he knows what he's doing. He knows how to create the environment, for the whole movie, and for each frame in it. I saw him watching the actors from close, in each scene. He wants to watch everything; direct but also make the actors feel comfortable and sure of what they are doing. It shows.
"The Notebook" is actually a novel. And if it wasn't because of Nicholas Sparks' hands and inspiration (when he wrote his first novel), this film wouldn't exist. How romantic a story can be when it starts with the paragraph that says more or less like this: "I'm a common man. There are no monuments dedicated to me and soon my name will be forgotten; but in one way, I have succeeded as any other being in this world: I have loved another person with all my heart". The answer you'll find it watching "The notebook". The movie has many beautiful and moving scenes; sometimes, you know what is going to happen although you don't want that to happen. But those are the scenes you will see, and enjoy as I did.
I don't know if this has been said, but I had to put it. The rain is falling down, and Allie (McAdams), says angrily to Noah (Gosling): "Why did you end it? Why was it over?". "It was not over", he answers with tears in his eyes. "And it still isn't over".
And it will never be.