"The Notebook" (2004) - Movie Review

In its face and charm, “The Notebook” is the sappy films we have watched over inherited, regenerated and reincarnated in forms never seem to exhaust produced ranging from worst to best. Romantic films are like impressing the right lady, never easy but when it strikes it cannot be more perfect, and most of the times failing too. “The Notebook” is not a riddle to be solved; in fact the film could be sleep walked in prediction and the so called revealing romance, but it falls right on places, simplified. Hence instead of turning into the melodramatic soap opera which “The Legends of the Fall” does, it moves fast, to the point and travels light.

In an elderly home Duke (James Garner) merrily starts his day and goes to read a book for another residing member, a lady (Gena Rowlands) who is suffering from senile dementia. In that story we meet bumbling youthful Noah (Ryan Gosling) going head over heels for Allie (Rachael McAdams). Then it is boy meets girl, girl likes boy, they are happy, and a break, you know the whole nine yards. It is not mathematical problem but a proven formula. Noah is crazy romantic and he immediately climbs up a Ferris wheel to hang on until Allie says yes to his request on going a date with him. Charming and stupid as it sounds, it indeed plays well which I would have hated in other films of such kind.

The simplicity of “The Notebook” takes precedence and avoids all the unnecessary known melodramatic involved in the process. In the narrating voice of James Garner, it runs like a fairy tale and ends with a natural tragedy which might be heavy for some. I was stoic to it since it never appealed to me as more realistic like many might observe. Director Nick Cassavetes might have looked at the novel written by Nicholas Sparks as a story said many times and want to eliminate the intricate part of most emotional points. Then he would have assembled the key plots into the twisting elements which of course get predicted too. But it is not overplayed and keeps it to terseness.

Throughout the world cinema, romantic films never seem to recede even for a small tenure. With universal acceptance and indulgence of love driving everything, the cook pot for it has been savoured with rich sweetness becoming unbearable delicacy done wrong in novel ways. Yet some get it right and perfectly with uniqueness as in “Say Anything” and “Before Sunrise” with its sequel “Before Sunset”. The emotions were same but the style and conversation were intelligent and gets to you. What “The Notebook” does is in no way relates to that. The story has been the survival boon for the box office to exploit on that season’s sappy romance. And in delivering something clear, cool and concise makes it watchable and a lot more approachable.

With small and effective support from Sam Sheppard, Joan Allen, David Thornton and James Marsden it is smooth and plays withdrawing themselves remaining as a novel said in abundance of melodrama. Sometimes that’s the simplistic beauty we would expect out of the romance films. It has the parents concerned about the future and command against Allie’s wishes. A film soaked of lost love and sympathetic nature over the left lover does not bore or impress until the end. When Allie returns giving in to her emotions on to see Noah as she puts it “whether he is OK” is every step of predictability on what is to happen. But in Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams we see the grown up kids who were madly in love with each other and constrained by their current circumstances. They say they are different and they say they are the same. It randomly wanders into the process of finding that moment to completely surrender to the overcoming emotions which in every step is wrong but that is what makes every one human by making them vulnerable to themselves.

As the old age scenes are played neatly again, the suspense is a fair chance of each possibility of either Lon or Noah for Allie but it is a good platform for it to lay the story. And in that passionate reading and dedication, we understand how much every one goes through for the labour of love. The film conveniently negates the small fights brings the heavy decisions and pain at right junctures. “The Notebook” is something I would have hated even if a mild step away was taken but it survived and made me like it instead. I might not be as moved as it expects but as a simple love story, it cannot be more perfect.