Not your usual chick-flick

Rating: 8/10 (28 August 2006)

I think a lady friend of mine wanted to rent this a few months ago and I passed on it. Then I saw part of it at a relative's house and the same day rented it and watched it with the same lady friend! I thought the performances were all very natural and believable. Nothing was forced or overly dramatic, and there was a lot of humor. My favorite scene is probably when Allie is a nurse and first meets Lon who is wrapped in a body cast. He asks her for a date and says "Before you say no, I'll have you know I'm an excellent dancer and my intentions are entirely dishonorable." Lon is such a likable and confident guy that you can understand why it's a tough choice for Allie ... despite what Noah claims, it really isn't about the money and the security for her. Lon is every bit as great a guy as Noah is, he's just different.
Even though they're very different films, this movie kind of reminded me of "Murphy's Romance" (which also featured James Garner). Both movies have a kind of easygoing quality to them while still packing an emotional punch. The Notebook definitely has a more "epic" quality to it, though.
Would have rated it a 9 but I did have a little issue with the casting. I didn't think the woman who played Allie in her 80's looked anything like Allie would have looked at that age. She did do a good job though. James Garner didn't really look much like an older Noah either, but, well, he's James Garner.
Other than that, a very good film.
EDIT:
You know, after reviewing the negative comments about the film, I have to admit I can't disagree with many of them. This film really was flawed in a lot of ways, but somehow it still worked. But the more I think about it, the more I want to downgrade my rating. I now think I'd put it at a 6.5.