The Notebook Movie Review 2004

An elderly man (Garner) tries patiently to reawaken beloved wife's (Rowlands) failing memory of their life together by reading the story to her. Couple is seen in flashback of youth and follows them through the struggles of romance. There are two stories here: one very interesting, the other rehashed saccharine. Story of the young lovers is harlequin romance cliche in which noble blue collar overreaches his station, but pretty rich girl just can't help herself. They love, they lose one another, they're reunited again. Sure to make many tender hearts quiver. When Garner and Rowlands share the screen there's true magic. Their chemistry is genuine and finally heartbreaking, and too little time is spent exploring it. A frustrating schizophrenic letdown.

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on DVD
Running time 120 minutes.
Originally from United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Romantic Drama, Southern Belles, American South, Growing Older, Period Piece: 1940s, World War II

Screenplay

Jan Sardi, Jeremy Leven

Cast

Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Joan Allen, James Marsden, Kevin Connolly, Sam Shepard

Cinematography

Robert Fraisse

Director

Nick Cassavetes

Music

Aaron Zigman

Other

Jonathan S. Gaynor, Alan Heim, Sarah Knowles, Scott Ritenour, Karyn Wagner

Producer

Mark Johnson, Lynn Harris, Gran Via, New Line Cinema