Buy The Notebook on DVD

The Notebook

DVD Dual Platinum Series More Info Platinum Series Close Caption: Yes Region Code: 1 UPC: 794043749728 Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary)	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$14.99
Blu-ray More Info Region Code: 1 UPC: 794043140624 Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary)	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$17.99 (10% off) List Price: ~~$19.99~~

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Synopsis

Based on Nicholas Sparks' best-selling novel, this romantic drama traces the love affair between an upper-class girl (McAdams) and a working-class boy (Gosling) during WWII. Garner and Rowlands appear in contemporary scenes which frame the story.

Review

If the barometer of a good comedy is whether or not you laugh, then perhaps the success of a manipulative and by-the-numbers weeper like The Notebook should be measured in volume of tears. By that standard, this Nicholas Sparks (Message in a Bottle) adaptation gets a rating of 4 buckets. The bulk of the story takes place in the '40s as two star-crossed lovers (Gosling and McAdams) fall deeply in love despite their disparate socio-economic backgrounds. They spend much screen time framed by widescreen magic-hour photography, moving towards a romantic resolution that is only in doubt to the characters onscreen. Their rather rote (if undeniably effective) romance is awkwardly framed by the novelistic device of a man (Garner) reading this story to an Alzheimer's patient (Rowlands, the director's mother), leading to more unsurprising revelations and a whole new box of tissues. Despite the hindrances inherent to the story/screenplay, director Cassavetes manages to push all the right buttons, due in no small part to his ability to elicit terrific work from his cast (guess the apple didn't fall far from John Cassavetes' tree). Gosling and McAdams have fiery chemistry, while Garner and Rowlands evoke a heartbreaking melancholia.

-- David Gorgos