+++Fair warning, the review gives away some of the plot points in the movie, but nothing that is really kept secret throughout the movie, but none of the fine details.+++
The Notebook is a 2004 romance/drama directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Ryan Gossling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands, and James Marsden. It tells a love story in two time periods. In the present day and in flashbacks in the 1940s. The young version of the main characters, Noah and Allie, are played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel Mcadams. The older versions of the characters are played by James Garner and Gena Rowlands. In present-day, Allie has lost her memory to Alzheimer's, and Noah, who has moved into the same nursing home with her, reads her the story of their meeting and falling in love, which is told through the flashbacks. Most of the movie is set in the 1940s, but toward the end, the present-day scenes are more than just cutaways.
What makes the movie is the chemistry that Ryan Gosling and Rachel Mcadams had (or were able to fake as they reportedly could not stand each other) and the emotion that James Garner was able to bring to the older character. If neither of those works, the movie would not work nearly as well. Garner's scenes really packed more of an emotional punch because he had to go from pretending to barely know his wife to joy when she remembered him to sadness when she forgot him again. He was able to go through that range of emotions very well. The ending of the movie was a little contrived and sappy, but the overall story worked very well, and all the actors, even those whose characters were more ancillary, did a good job.
The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is great. There are many great landscape shots in the movie that come through very well in HD. As far as extras go, there is a director's commentary track on the film, about 30 minutes of deleted scenes, and about 20 minutes of making-of and behind-the-scenes features. If you get the box set, there is also a notebook with character bios and note card stationary. The stuff in the book is not really all that great, honestly, so if you just like the movie, getting the disc-only version will probably be fine. But if there are die-hard fans of the movie, then the gift set is out there. Ultimately, while the movie falls squarely within the label of a chick flick, it is not so utterly sappy that males cannot bear to watch it. Personally, I think the parts of the movie with Garner and Rowlands pack the biggest emotional punch and make up for the sappiness of some of the flashback scenes. It is definitely worth the time to watch.
The Notebook is a 2004 romance/drama directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Ryan Gossling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands, and James Marsden. It tells a love story in two time periods. In the present day and in flashbacks in the 1940s. The young version of the main characters, Noah and Allie, are played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel Mcadams. The older versions of the characters are played by James Garner and Gena Rowlands. In present-day, Allie has lost her memory to Alzheimer's, and Noah, who has moved into the same nursing home with her, reads her the story of their meeting and falling in love, which is told through the flashbacks. Most of the movie is set in the 1940s, but toward the end, the present-day scenes are more than just cutaways.
What makes the movie is the chemistry that Ryan Gosling and Rachel Mcadams had (or were able to fake as they reportedly could not stand each other) and the emotion that James Garner was able to bring to the older character. If neither of those works, the movie would not work nearly as well. Garner's scenes really packed more of an emotional punch because he had to go from pretending to barely know his wife to joy when she remembered him to sadness when she forgot him again. He was able to go through that range of emotions very well. The ending of the movie was a little contrived and sappy, but the overall story worked very well, and all the actors, even those whose characters were more ancillary, did a good job.
The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is great. There are many great landscape shots in the movie that come through very well in HD. As far as extras go, there is a director's commentary track on the film, about 30 minutes of deleted scenes, and about 20 minutes of making-of and behind-the-scenes features. If you get the box set, there is also a notebook with character bios and note card stationary. The stuff in the book is not really all that great, honestly, so if you just like the movie, getting the disc-only version will probably be fine. But if there are die-hard fans of the movie, then the gift set is out there. Ultimately, while the movie falls squarely within the label of a chick flick, it is not so utterly sappy that males cannot bear to watch it. Personally, I think the parts of the movie with Garner and Rowlands pack the biggest emotional punch and make up for the sappiness of some of the flashback scenes. It is definitely worth the time to watch.
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