The Notebook

Plot synopsis:
In a modern-day nursing home, an elderly man named Duke (James Garner) begins to read a love story from his notebook to a female fellow patient (Gena Rowlands).The story begins in 1940. At a carnival in Seabrook Island, South Carolina, local country boy Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) sees seventeen-year-old heiress Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) for the first time and is immediately smitten. She continuously refuses his persistent advances until their well-meaning friends lure them together; they then get to know each other on a midnight walk through empty Seabrook.Noah and Allie spend an idyllic summer together. One night, a week before Allie is to leave town, she and Noah go up to an abandoned house called The Windsor Plantation. Noah tells her that he hopes to buy the house, and Allie makes him promise that the house will be white, with blue shutters, a walk-around porch, and a room that overlooks the creek so she can paint. They intend to make love for the first time, but are interrupted by Noah's friend Fin (Kevin Connolly) with the news that Allie's parents have the police out looking for her. When Allie returns home, her disapproving parents ban her from seeing Noah again. Allie fights with Noah outside and the two decide to break up. Allie immediately regrets the decision but Noah drives away. The next morning, Allie's mother reveals that they are going home that morning. Allie frantically tries to find Noah, but is forced to leave without saying good-bye. The Hamiltons then send Allie to New York, where she begins attending Sarah Lawrence College. Noah, devastated by his separation from Allie, writes her one letter a day for a year, only to get no reply as Allie's mother keeps the letters from her. Noah and Allie have no choice but to move on with their lives. Allie continues to attend school, while Noah and Fin enlist to fight in World War II. Fin is killed in battle.Allie becomes a nurse for wounded soldiers. There, she meets the wealthy Lon Hammond, Jr. (James Marsden), a well-connected young lawyer who is handsome, sophisticated, charming and comes from old Southern money. The two eventually become engaged, to the joy of Allie's parents, although Allie sees Noah's face when Lon asks her to marry him.When Noah returns home, he discovers his father has sold their home so that Noah can go ahead and buy The Windsor Plantation. While visiting Charleston to file some paper work, Noah witnesses Allie and Lon kissing at a restaurant, causing Noah to go a little crazy, convincing himself that if he fixes up the house, Allie will come back to him.While trying on her wedding dress in the 1940s, Allie is startled to read about Noah completing the house in the style section of a Raleigh newspaper and faints. She visits Noah in Seabrook and he invites her to dinner, during which Allie tells Noah about her engagement. Noah questions whether Allie's future husband is a good man and she reassures Noah that he is. Later in the evening, Noah invites Allie to come back tomorrow.In the present, it is made clear that the elderly woman is Allie suffering from dementia, which has stolen her memories and Duke is her husband. Allie does not recognize their grown children and grandchildren, who beg Duke to come home with them. He insists on staying with Allie.The next morning, Allie and Noah go rowing on a nearby lake and begin to reminisce about their summer together. As a rain storm starts Noah rows to shore, where Allie demands to know why Noah never wrote to her. After the revelation that Noah had indeed written to Allie, they share a passionate kiss, before making love into the night.The next day, Allies mother appears on Noahs doorstep, telling Allie that Lon has followed her to Seabrook after Allie's father told him about Noah. Her mother takes Allie out for a drive to show her that there had been a time in her life when she could relate to Allie's present situation. On returning to Noah's, she hands her daughter the bundle of 365 letters that Noah had written to her. When alone, Noah asks Allie what she is going to do; Allie is confused and confesses that she doesnt know. Noah asks her to just stay with him, admitting it is going to be really hard, but he is willing to go through anything because he wants to be with her. Confused as ever, Allie drives off.Allie drives to the hotel and confesses to Lon, who is angry but admits that he still loves her. He tells her that he does not want to convince his fiancée that she should be with him, but Allie tells him he does not have to, because she already knows she should be with him.The film goes back to the elderly couple, and Duke asks Allie who she chose. She soon realizes the answer herself; young Allie appears at Noah's doorstep, having left Lon at the hotel and chosen Noah. They embrace in reunion.Elderly Allie suddenly remembers her past before she and Noah/Duke joyfully spend a brief intimate moment together; after originally finding out about her illness, she had herself written their story in the notebook with the instructions for Noah to "Read this to me, and I'll come back to you." But soon Allie relapses, losing her memories of Noah yet again. She panics, and has to be sedated by the attending physician. This proves to be too difficult for Noah to watch and he breaks down. The next morning, Noah is found unconscious in bed and he is rushed to the hospital; he later returns to the nursing home's intensive care ward. He goes to Allie's room later that night, and Allie remembers again. The next morning, a nurse finds them in bed together, having both died peacefully holding each other's hands. The last scene shows a flock of birds flying away.

Tags: psychological, boring, flashback, humor, tragedy, romantic, sentimental

Review:
I, along with almost every other person i have discussed the movie with, felt involved in the situations and the lives of the character- crying at the sad moments and feeling joy at the happy bits.
in general, love stories are predictable and somewhat dull (in my opinion) yet this movie kept me guessing at the outcome, and delivered twists throughout the whole film.The Notebook was extremely well constructed and i would give it an eleven out of ten..
And yet the wonderful thing about this movie is that it takes what seems like a story you've heard already (at least in bits and pieces) and still moves you deeply.
It really speaks about love in a way that most romantic movies miss by speaking in cliché or over shoot by adding in numerous complications to dramatize things.
The Notebook is not one of those cheesy chick flicks that often come out, it is a brilliantly written intriguing story about two young lovers that most people can relate to.Even most males will agree that this movie pulls at your heart strings.
This movie makes us think of what could have been and gives us a fresh look at the meaning of true love.
I went into this movie with the misconception of thinking this was just another typical romantic movie, but I was very impressed by this film and the themes portrayed in this movie were handled in a great way.This movie will have you feeling happy and joyful and the scenery is just brilliant.
Ryan Gosling is brilliant as the shy and quiet Noah, and Rachael McAdams is superbly beautiful as the star of the movie, Allie.As I said earlier in my review, I did go into the movie not expecting much and that was because I thought it was a typical "boy loves girl" movie which are sometimes just too predictable.
Don't get me wrong, they are some good Romantic movies that pull it off very well, but there are simply too many in that particular genre.The best thing about this movie was the depth of the plot and the actors playing their characters so well.
It is structurally very similar to "Fried Green Tomatoes", which is also one of my all time favorite movies.Unlike "Fried Green Tomatoes", this focuses on young love as it grows and endures through wars and parental dissent.
The casting of Allie and Noah in the movie was exceptional and made the feelings and emotions seem real.
Her character Allie is the pivotal role in the film, as she must make the crucial romantic decision on which the story turns.
There are few performers capable of evolving the complexity of characterization as achieved by Rachel McAdams.The film recreated effectively the world of the 1940s in America, including the parental pressure exerted by the well-to-do family of Allie on whether to allow their daughter to pursue a young man from the other side of the tracks.
Especially in the film's early scenes, Gosling could have shown more of the passion.The other cast members were outstanding, including James Garner and Gena Rowlands in the parallel story.
In one of the most moving scenes in the film, the mother opens up to the daughter and tells her story of youthful love and a fateful choice similar to the one Allie herself must face.My favorite scene in the film: a wonderful sequence where Noah and Allie are in a boat in the backwaters of South Carolina.
It's not that I dislike romance anything but this has movie tries so hard to be some sort of acronym to the word "chick flick" that it ends up shooting you to death with it's intended love arrows.
Think again, the definition of love shown in this film is so naive, sugar-coated and completely oblivious of anything in the real world that it makes Star Wars look like something from the Discovery channel.The so called "couple" in this film are only in love because the movie says they are, not because there's any sort of chemistry between the actors and not because the characters themselves even act like.
Although they're fun to watch, most love movies are predictable after seeing the first five minutes.
Ryan Gosling was, as always, authentic in his portrayal of Noah, a poor working class guy who falls in love with Allie, a beautiful rich girl who is staying in town with her family on their summer's vacation.
Don't get me wrong: I'm a girl, love Ryan Gosling and was pretty much excited about watching the movie.
How, shallow a movie can get is well portrayed in the film "NOTE BOOK." If you'd like to watch a classic love story, with nothing new with no originality please choose this title.
MILDLY but it doesn't even come close to elliciting any of the emotional response you might expect from a good movie.The plot goes from one twist to another without any other purpose than to surprise especially naive viewers and the tear jerker ending is a big yawn, even with the talent of poor Rowland and Garner who are completely wasted on the flat dialog and cliché storyline.The whole thing probably isn't helped by Gosling and McAdams TOTAL lack of chemistry and forced acting but I can't say it would have improved the poor plot any if the young actors had been even remotely close to the talent of their eldest.If you're expecting a real romantic movie like Casablanca or Now Voyager, watch something else..
The plot is barely existent, the characters are one-dimensional at best and impossible to like beyond a superficial level, and the storyline is shallower than a children's inflatable pool, existing solely to pimp Sparks's Easy-Bake, feel-good concept of romance.
There's a massive section of the movie that contains little aside from the couple kissing each other in a variety of settings, all leading up to their first time sleeping together, which is, of course, perfect, just like everything else in this perfect, vacuous storyline.I could go on and on, but I'm only allowed 1,000 words in this particular review.
The local worker Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) meets Allie at a carnival and they soon fall in love with each other.
When Allie accidentally sees the photo of Noah and his house in a newspaper, she feels divided between her first love and her commitment with Lon. Meanwhile Duke stops reading to the old lady since his children are visiting him in the nursing home.
"The Notebook" is a beautiful and sensitive romance with a love story that is not shallow and makes you think of how fast time goes by.
This movie was without question the best love story ever told.Yes I cried bucket of tears.I only wish every husband and wife could watch this together, my wife and I had a box of Kleenex on the bed, and used up the whole box.Being someone who works with people that are sometimes not there, I understand losing touch.I see it every day, and see spouses that have lost touch with their love of their life.The Notebook was incredible.Regards, Dr. Bob.
It has just about every "first love" movie cliché you can possibly think of, and has nothing new to add to them.Unlike Jack & Rose in Titanic, you have absolutely no empathy for the characters, and there seems to be no good reason for their lives to have crossed.
If you find this movie boring or just didn't like anything about it, means you clearly are missing something in your life, lets all hope each of us finds true love in their lives..
Don't you wish you, an ordinary but having some romantic ideas teenage boy, get to meet with a rich and innocent beautiful young lady and get to have some amazing love story with her just because you are obsessed?!
Now as I turned older, watching this movie again is just torturing.The story is unrealistic, the characters are completely boring and lack of anything special to remember.
"The Notebook" is a story everyone in the world has heard a million times before; young Romeo-and-Juliet summer love which is tossed and turned continuously by opposing outside forces.
We've read it a hundred times before we start the first chapter, know the conclusion before we see the end of the film, and can relate it to so many moments from the past relationships of our lives.But what makes this film different from others is one main thing; beauty.Never before have I been moved this emotionally by a romance.
Any viewer will stay connected with the story for the film's length and will be moved long after the credits stop rolling.No matter how many times you've seen movies with the exact same plot, I promise you you'll appreciate every second of "The Notebook".
In electing to film this light weight book, he chose a possible easy crowd pleaser, or an excellent way to get me out of the sun into the air conditioning of the movie theater.The story is one cliché after another.
Felt really bad for her husband but give him props for still loving and wanting to be with her.I was very surprised seeing Rachel McAdams playing Allie after seeing her in previous teen movies "Hot Chick" and "Mean girls", but her acting in this movie was pretty phenomenal.
And Ryan Gosling...very good looking actor who played his character well.I think, though, that they caught Allie's and Noah's stories short towards the ending.
This is the way that young girls are gulled into believing this dark lie: That "love means giving yourself to 'him' when the opportunity presents itself."Meanwhile we have our present-day dilemma, of illicit sexual relations between children with no thought of consequence, risking unwanted pregnancy, abortion, emotional trauma and low self-worth, all because these things are depicted as "part of romance".
If you buy into that baloney, then by all means, please buy this film, watch it, believe in love that is described in the movie, and continue to be delusional about life.Though James Garner and Gena Rowlands put on formidable performances (worthy of Oscars for best supporting roles), the story and script was nothing short of complete pit bottom garbage.
Instead of portraying the experience of falling in love as being the truly magical thing it is, this movie makes it seem dry, tasteless and liable to put people to sleep.Thankfully I watched the film on DVD, so I had the fast-forward button readily available for the boring, wide sweeping 'romantic' scenes.
The book is the most touching love story I have read.some corrections that I want to say: this movie sort of showed two young lovers who just ran away, and just got lucky with their relationship.
"The Notebook" (2004) has something absolutely amazing - the best on-screen chemistry between two young lovers who are crazy about each other, whose love is so real, so overwhelming, so tender and passionate that you actually forget that they are acting.
"The Notebook" is a story of love, specifically of the Love between Noah (played by Ryan Gosling and James Garner)and Allie (played by Rachel McAdams and Gina Rowlands).This movies should touch everyone's heart that watches it.
I usually don't like romantic movies much, but I adored this film.
I have watch Gone with the Wind because people say its the best love story ever, along with titanic, but i think that The Notebook beats both of them.
It can relate to everyone, because everyone knows, you just can't forget your first love (or your true love.) The notebook doesn't follow the regular style of a love story, where two odds meet, dislike, like, fall in love, separated by outsider, and end up together.
Yes I do realize that "Notebook" is a chick flick and being a chick myself, I do like to watch romantic, "heart-warming" films from time to time.
But to enjoy such a film I need to be able to connect with the story and sympathize with the characters, and I absolutely couldn't do that in "The Notebook." It's so pathetic, made up of clichés, mediocre acting and entirely predictable plot twists, that it feels like a soap-opera squeezed into a couple of hours.
The fact there is a sub-plot - showing an old man reading the love story to an old woman, doesn't make the film any more original, as everything in it is as predictable as the rest..
Gosling is the boy from the wrong side of the tracks who has a summer romance with rich girl Rachel McAdams, (who has the kind of face you are unlikely to remember from one movie to the next).
They lose each other and just as predictably find each other again and all the time nice old codger James Garner tells the story of their 'great' love to Gena Rowlands who has senile dementia.
I hope there's more people like me out there It's a shame that there's not many real life love stories.
Above all the descriptions and mood created around Noah on the river at sunrise, and the magical trip leading to the 'bird lake', such powerful images in the book, and of his poetry, were played down to a minimal level.It was as if the task of adaptation to screen was handed to someone who kept only the title and bare outline of the story and then proceeded to create a different, and vastly inferior and less powerful work.What a shame The Notebook has not enjoyed a truly sympathetic or sensitive adaptation like The Bridges of Madison County, Enchanted April or even the recent Ladies in Lavender.
A young boy who trusts his feelings so much that he is capable of doing anything standing in his power to be with the girl he likes, a young girl fighting for her love against her own parents, both combined in a struggle of an old man trying to recover the "she" for whom he'll stand "untill death..." turned the movie into a perfect love story.
Suddenly, you're not sensitive, and the relationship drops a rung on the sex ladder.This 2 hour long movie depicts a love story read by an aged husband to his wife who has a disease (something like alzheimers) and she forgets things easily.
He reads to her their love story, and every time he does, she remembers just a little bit more about the relationship they have.Not my kind of movie, but I gave it a 7 out of 10, because it was good nonetheless.
but this doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the film, as it's such a beautiful story you still want to know how the characters' lives play out.I would definitely recommend that people watch this movie at least once, but don't forget the waterproof mascara as I watched it with 4 other girls and we were all in floods of tears by the end!
I guess there isn't one.There are other good love stories out there that are much better than The notebook.
Firstly let me say i'm a lover of romantic films (Titanic is one of my favorites) and when i go into a romantic film i expect cheesy lines and clichés...but i just could not "get" this film, i found it laughably cheesy...roll your eyes, "i cant believe they just said that" cheesy.The film begins with an old couple and through a story telling session we begin to learn of the romance between rich, beautiful Allie (McAdams) and the poorer, handsome Noah (Gosling).The main problem i had with this pairing was how unlikely the whole thing seemed, Noah meets Allie and without even a sentence uttered between them, in only minutes of meeting...
it just felt too unrealistic for a film obviously trying for a realistic romance.Mcadams and Gosling have strong chemistry, they are very talented actors and i was impressed with both of them..but something about their romance just did not work for me, good acting can only take you so far...i never felt connected to these characters, i never felt involved but i don't for one minute blame this on the actors.Second MAJOR issue: The old couple storyline, not only is it MASSIVELY predicable meaning the so called "omg" twist as to who this old couple is becomes just another eye roller...but its horribly cliché, cheesy and badly acted....i often think i might have enjoyed this film had it only focused on the young allie/noah story (at least the acting was top-notch).
In the first part of the movie Noah and Allie were very believable having had a few young loves of my own.
Lol..But Rachel Mcadams does a good job at playing Allie in this movie!
It's a captivating story far beyond the average movie.This is one of the most beautiful and romantic films I have ever seen!
This was not going to be an easy task for him though, because the story was built on us believing the love that the main characters of the film would be showing was real.
He did a great job, and helped put together a great cast for this film that would end up including Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, and Joan Allen.
At the heart of this film the couple represents the love story that is being told by James Garner's character.
Meanwhile, in the story, Noah and Allie meet in one of the cutest scenes of the movie.
This is what I love about films like these, as we are given the opportunity to enjoy two different stories going on at the same time.
The love shown by Noah and Allie is something that envelopes us, and it makes us forget about the current story.
The film does its best to persuade and make the audience feel the way it wants you to feel that it turns those watching into slaves to the story.
if you want to see a moving love story you'll be disappointed from this film unless you're 13...can't believe all the rave...it is not deserved...a total waste of my time...