The Notebook, which I?m sure a lot of you will already know, is widely known as one of the most romantic films of all time & if you?ve seen this I?m sure you?ll understand why. The Notebook was released 25th June 2004 & was received a mildly reasonable response from the critics, however it did extremely well at the box office, grossing an estimated $115.6 million worldwide on a budget of $30,000,000. The notebook is rated 12 & runs for approximately 123 minutes.
The film is based on a novel written by Nicholas Sparks.
The film is directed by Nick Cassavetes who ironically is the son of Gena Rowlands who plays Allie as a sick old lady. Nick has directed a few semi successful films including; Alpha Dog, She?s So Lovely & Unhook The Stars, however I?m certain that Nick Cassavetes will always be notorious for directing The Notebook.
The two main leads in the film are played by Rachel McAdams who?s appeared in several films including; Mean Girls, Red Eye & Wedding Crashers. Ryan Gosling plays opposite her, he?s appeared in; Fracture, Lars And The Real Girl & All Good Things. Rachel McAdams plays Allie in the film & Ryan Gosling plays Noah.
The two supporting characters are played by Gena Rowlands & James Garner. They play Allie & Noah in the present day.
The film is set in a pretty unique way & that?s one of the reasons it stands out for me. It?s about two people in a nursing home, Allie (Gena Rowlands) & a man who calls himself Duke (James Garner). Allie has a severe form of Alzheimer?s & has forgotten everything, her family, friends & even her own name. Duke is a man who lives in the retirement home with her
& has befriended Allie, he reads her stories everyday. The story he reads to her is about two people in the 40?s who fall in love, their names are Allie & Noah. Most of the film is consumed with flashbacks of the two lovers in the 40?s but every so often it will transfer back to the present day where Duke is reading Allie the story. The film follows the story of the two love struck teens as they go through the trials & tribulations & of course we get to witness whether they eventually get together or not.
I have to say I was quite sceptical about watching this film at first as I tend not to like films that are set years ago, I?m a modern girl & like things to be in the present day! I first watched this when my friend lent it to me on DVD & I wasn?t planning on watching it but she strongly insisted so when I was bored one night I eventually got around to watching it. I?m actually a big fan of romantic movies & I love a good tear-jerker, thinking about it now I don?t know why I was being so pessimistic about this film as it?s really just another love story.
Having said that however I must stress that this isn?t your typical boy meets girl love story. This film really drags you in & plays with your emotions. You feel exactly how the characters are feeling which maybe it?s just me but I don?t get that feeling with most movies.
After glancing at the running time on the back of the DVD case that was another thing that made me partly not want to watch this as I was expecting it to be very slow, I tend to have very different views than my friends when it comes to films & they loved this so I didn?t exactly have high hopes for it!
I couldn?t have been more wrong though, this is probably one of the biggest tear-jerkers I?ve ever watched (with the exception of Titanic of course!) & I?m honestly very glad that I did watch it. It?s a brilliant love story that isn?t predictable like they usually are. The way it?s told is very unique & even though you have an idea of what?s going to happen because of the two people in the care home you can never be completely sure which is what?s so great about this film. This movie will keep you guessing pretty much all the way through as even though the characters are together in the nursing home you don?t know how they ended up getting together which is something that will keep you watching all the way through to the end.
The acting is brilliant, especially by Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling. I?ve seen Rachel McAdams in quite a few films & this is the role that really stands out for me, she completely becomes the character of Allie & you can really feel her pain. Ryan Gosling is also brilliant as Noah, who knew he loved Allie from the moment they met. Credit should also go to James Garner & Gena Rowlands who are brilliant as the present day couple, James Garner especially is great at playing Noah, who sees his wife everyday but she tragically doesn?t know who he is, you really feel his pain & can imagine what he?s going through.
This is a really great love story but it?s also very tragic. I would advise you to have a box of tissues ready as you?ll almost definitely need them for this. This is the perfect movie to watch with your boyfriend although guys unless you?re really in touch with your feminine side then there?s a good chance that you may not enjoy this! It?s definitely one for the girls & great for a girly night in with a pizza & a glass of wine.
If you haven?t seen this then I highly recommend you do, it?s a must see for anyone even if you?re not into romance movies. I?ve heard a lot of people describe this film as a chick flick however I feel that it?s far from it, this is a film that can be enjoyed by all ages & all genders. I?ll bet that even the most macho man in the world would cry at this! It?s simply impossible not to fall in love with this film. It?s probably my favourite film of all time. I?ve seen it a million times & it?s one of those that you never get bored of & you?ll get just as emotional as you did the first time you saw it. I thought that I?d never cry about a movie as much as I did with Titanic but this gives Titanic a serious run for it?s money!
I?m certain that a lot of you already own this DVD but for those of you who don?t I?ll give you a quick run-through of the special features included; Audio Commentary Three Featurettes Casting Programme Theatrical Trailer I have to be honest, even if there were no special features included with this DVD then I would still buy it, it?s simply phenomenal.
After borrowing the DVD from my friend I tried to track it down, at first I pre-ordered it from WH Smith, then on going into collect it a week later they tell me they can?t get it in stock & had to give me my money back? I was fuming! Eventually I had to order it from a local music store who charged me £15.99 for it, yes I know what you?re thinking but this is such a great film that I was willing to pay that. This was before I discovered play.com, about a month later I stumbled across it & on the special offers page was the notebook for £5.99, I couldn?t believe it! This film is available from play.com as of today (19/2/09) for £4.99, which obviously is a bargain compared to what I paid for it but I was so keen to buy it that I bought it from the first place I could!
The soundtrack is also available from play.com for the more expensive price of £10.99, it always baffles me that CD?s cost more than DVD?s but oh well! I?m not really the kind of person that buys soundtracks anyway, I tend to download but for the people that do like to know information on the soundtrack & may even consider buying it then the CD includes; Main Title - Aaron Zigman Overture - Aaron Zigman I'll Be Seeing You - Billie Holiday Alabamy Home - Duke Ellington Allie Returns - Aaron Zigman House Blues / The Porch Dance / The Proposal / The Carnival - Aaron Zigman Noah's Journey - Aaron Zigman Always And Always - Benny Goodman String Of Pearls On The Lake - Aaron Zigman Diga Diga Doo - Rex Stewart/The Ellingtonians One O'Clock Jump - Benny Goodman I'll Be Seeing You - Jimmy Durante Noah's Last Letter - Aaron Zigman Our Love Can Do Miracles - Aaron Zigman
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Drama - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Shelagh Fraser, Barbara Flynn, Keith Drinkel, Felicity Kendal, Pam Ferris, Colin Douglas
I'm sorry for the H, but for this to be a full DVD review, I would prefer to see a review of the extras in the same detail as your review of the film, not just a list of them.
Advantages: Great acting, makes you cry (c'mon it's good to cry), good weepy ending. Disadvantages: Clicheed and unrealistic - You feel like you've seen it all before.
Renza 17.01.2009 (17.01.2009)
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Review of The Notebook (DVD)
Feb 19th, 2009
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