The Notebook

An unabashedly old-fashioned romance, The Notebook primarily revolves around the unlikely relationship that ensues between rich city girl Allie (Rachel McAdams) and poor country boy Noah (Ryan Gosling) over the course of one particularly eventful summer. The movie also features a wrap-around story in which an aging Allie (Gena Rowlands), now a shell of her former self due to Alzheimer’s, is regaled with tales of said romance by a kindly fellow resident (James Garner’s Duke), though it does become clear that Duke’s feelings towards Allie are more than just friendly. Director Nick Cassavetes, working from Jan Sardi and Jeremy Leven’s adaptation of Nicolas Sparks’ novel, has infused The Notebook with an irresistibly romantic atmosphere that’s elevated by the palpable chemistry between Gosling and McAdams, with the stars’ stellar, almost hypnotic work effectively allowing the viewer to overlook some of the film’s more egregiously sentimental elements. It’s also worth noting that the Rowlands/Garner stuff is generally just as engaging, though the decision to focus entirely on their exploits in the film’s closing minutes dilutes the power of the flashbacks’ admittedly affecting resolution. And while the relentlessly syrupy vibe might be a bit too much for certain viewers to handle, The Notebook, for those who buy into its ultra-idealized sensibilities, ultimately comes off as one of contemporary cinema’s most compelling and flat-out indelible love stories.

*** out of ****