Movie #94 -- The Notebook

Title: The Notebook

Director: Nick Cassavetes

Release Year: 2004

Plot Summary: An old man reads to a woman with dimentia. A story within a story.

Thoughts: This movie came out last year. I was dating this girl at the time who at the end of our second date was talking about marriage and I was genuinely creeped out. At any rate, we went to the movies for one of our dates and the trailer for this movie appeared and she said "Oh! We should go see that." Needless to say (yet here I am) after that evening, I no longer had a desire to see this film.

Well, I finally got around to seeing this yesterday on cable and, after having read many good things about this movie (look at the rating it has in the IMDB for pete's sake), I thought that I was in for a treat. I was pretty dissapointed.

I didn't feel any real connection with the characters, save young Noah Calhoun (played by Ryan Gossling) -- the way his character turns to alcohol to drown his sorrows seemed very real and heartfelt. James Garner turns in a decent performance and Joan Allen is effective (it's a real wonder as to why she doesn't get more work). But Rachel McAdams is just dreadful and Sam Shepard and James Marsden are almost as bad.

Sure this movie breezy and fellas (this concerns you, so pay attention) you'll probably get laid if you watch this with your sweetheart.

Rating (0-10): 6.25

recommendations: Mostly harmless. As far as romance movies though, you can do much better: The English Patient, Love Actually, and Before Sunset all spring to mind.