I know I am a bit late to the Notebook party and all those who ever thought of watching the film has probably already done so. I have only recently just watched the film and I wanted to share my thoughts on this. If you're yet to watch the film, be warned this is full of spoilers.
The Notebook is based on the novel of the same name by author Nicholas Sparks. Given the hype, I thought I would be watching something as romantic as Dirty Dancing or A Walk to Remember. And in terms of romance, the movie did deliver but I am not convinced that that was the only reason that shot the film to its popularity. Rather, I think there was an element of relatability and the audience were able to put themselves in the shoes of the main characters.
Set in 1946, The Notebook stars Rachel McAdams and Gena Rowlands as Allie Nelson and Ryan Gosling and James Garner as Noah Colhoun. The story begins with Noah visiting Allie at a nursing home. Allie has dementia; she struggles with her long term memory. She cannot recall her family or the important details of her life. Noah reads to Allie from a notebook every time he sees her, believing the more he reads to her, the better her memory will become.
The Notebook tells us the love story of Noah and Allie. This starts when Noah spots Allie and he is immediately interested in her. She has her reservations but eventually decides that she wanted to go on a date with Noah
Allie comes from a well to do background, whereas Noah has a working class background. This was the main reason that Allie's parents had doubts about him as a suitable partner for Allie. However, Allie had fallen head over heels in love with Noah. She wasn't ready to say goodbye. Noah thought it would be best for him to keep some distance.
Over the next one year, Noah wrote to Allie but Allie's mother didn’t give the letters to her. Allie assumed that Noah was no longer interested in her. Eventually, Allie moved on. She met Lon (played by James Marsden) while working as a nurse for the army. The two fell in love and they planned to get married.
As Allie was getting ready for her wedding, she heard about Noah in the news. He has bought a house, renovated it and was looking to sell it on. Whilst Allie was in a relationship with Noah, she had described her ideal home. Noah had designed this house to look like her dream home.
Allie found out how to get in contact with Noah. While she was very much in love with her fiancé, she still had romantic feelings towards Noah and they ended up having an affair, which was later found out and made public.
Allie's fiancé, Lon was as gentlemanly as possible and he told Allie she should pursue things with Noah as he did not want to be her second choice (not quite the words he used, but it was the sentiment). Allie told Lon that she was in love with both Noah and Lon and with each of the men, a different side of her came out.
The chemistry between Allie and Noah was undeniable. Allie as an older person struggled to recall anything about her and Noah, although when being told the story, she felt like the story was familiar. Noah's love and commitment to Allie was unfaltering, something that we all long for in a partner. Another element which film audiences would possibly want in their ideal life partner.
The producers drew on young love and how people can go all in for their first love and anything that happens afterwards is much more considered. Despite finding love at a young age, the couple were not able to be together. They both tried to move on but still kept a flame alight for each other and life eventually led them back to each other. It is a sweet romance but is it the most romantic film ever made? I would say no. Is it a must-see film? Again, I would say no. It is a good film and highly enjoyable but not watching, would not be the worst thing either.
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