The Notebook (2004)

Theatrical Poster
Source: Wikipedia

The Notebook is told from a notebook held by an elderly man to a fellow female patient and tells the story of a couple's love story.

Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) sees heiress Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) at a carnival in 1940, he is immediately taken in by her. Despite this, she resists his advances until their friends trick them into seeing each other and the romance begins.

He shows her a house he wishes to buy where she lays down what she would want should they be able to afford it. During this time they almost make love, but are interrupted when they learn that Allie's parents - who disapprove of Noah - are looking for her.

Her family leave their summer house the next day, and despite Noah's promises to write, she never receives his correspondence. They move on with their lives - Allie becomes engages to a rich gentleman (James Marsden) and Noah buys his dream house. They are thrown back together though when Allie sees Noah's photograph in a newspaper.

Having seen The Notebook advertised at its release and then again when it was released on DVD, I never had any intention on going to watch it. It seemed like just another romance, destined to be fawned over by teenage girls and despised by husbands and boyfriends on Valentine's Day but I must confess there is a little bit more to it than that.

Despite having a very clichéd - and predictable - storyline, The Notebook is a very moving tale of love through the ages. Had it not have been based on a 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks, the storyline could be accused of combining the tales told in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Atonement.

McAdams and Gosling have a decent on-screen chemistry which helps to keep the film moving on. They are greatly aided by some good scripting and this draws the attention away from the tacked on scenes featuring the old folks "Duke" and an unnamed female patient (I wonder who they could possibly be). The predictability can get irritating, but overall it is no more so than what you would expect from a romantic fairy tale style film.

Definitely worth watching... and she'll appreciate you for it too.