The Notebook (2004)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Nick Cassavetes

Writers (WGA):

Nicholas Sparks (novel)
Jan Sardi (adaptation)

Release Date:

25 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Behind every great love is a great story.

Plot:

A poor and passionate young man falls in love with a rich young woman and gives her a sense of freedom. They soon are separated by their social differences.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Nursing Home | Carnival | Old Man | Old Woman

Awards:

11 wins & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 13	8:00 PM	OXYGEN
Fri. Nov. 13	11:00 PM	OXYGEN

Cast

Ryan Gosling	...	Noah Calhoun
Tim Ivey	...	Rower
Rachel McAdams	...	Allie Hamilton
Starletta DuPois	...	Nurse Esther
James Garner	...	Duke
Gena Rowlands	...	Allie Calhoun
Sam Shepard	...	Frank Calhoun
Anthony-Michael Q. Thomas	...	Nurse Keith
Joan Allen	...	Anne Hamilton
Ed Grady	...	Harry
James Marsden	...	Lon Hammond Jr.
Heather Wahlquist	...	Sara Tuffington
Jennifer Echols	...	Nurse Selma
Geoffrey Knight	...	Barker
Kevin Connolly	...	Fin

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality.

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA | Portugal

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:L | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Malaysia:18SX | Malaysia:U (cut) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Norway:7 | Denmark:7 | Sweden:Btl | Netherlands:6 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-11 | New Zealand:PG | Greece:K | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Brazil:14 | Chile:TE | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Boone Hall Plantation - 1235 Long Point Road, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The piano piece that young Allie plays and old Allie memorizes is Chopin's Prelude in E minor Opus 28 #4.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the band is playing on Noah's front porch and his father is playing the spoons with the band, as his father gets up to dance with Allie, he lays them down, but the sound of the spoons playing can still be heard in the music.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Nurse Selma: Excuse me. Come on, honey, let's get you ready for bed

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Just Friends (2005)

Soundtrack:

Where or When

My Favorite Scene was the One with the Geese, not the Gosling

Prior to watching "The Notebook," I was not familiar with the work of the actress Rachel McAdams. She made an indelible impression by sustaining an outstanding performance in this film. 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. As played by Ryan Gosling, the character of Noah could have revealed more emotional layers. There was only one scene in the film where he really showed that there was something at stake in his love for Allie. He apparently wrote her a passionate letter every day for a year. 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 the two plots, "The Notebook" merits comparison with another outstanding romantic film, "The Bridges of Madison County." As the two subplots of "The Notebook" come together, one of the key characters is Allie's mother. As always, Joan Allen delivers a convincing and complete character portrayal, as the well-intentioned, but conflicted mother. 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. The waterway is simply filled with white geese. It is a stunning and picturesque moment, among many in this well-crafted film. If there is such a spot in South Carolina, then I want to go there!