'THE NOTEBOOK' I was unspeakably moved...but for a reason. (1 Viewer)

[Inspector Hammer!]

I just watched this wonderful film again after not seeing it since I rented it a few months ago, the funny thing is, it did not effect me as hard the first time, perhaps it was because it was during the bright morning hours and I wasn't in the right frame of mind.

This time however, it was 12:30am when I popped it in, it's stormy outside and I was all settled onto the couch with my blanket and my cat asleep beside me, and it was as if I had just watched it for the very first time.

Now, few films have moved me to the point of tearing up and even fewer have moved me to the point of weeping openly...this film falls under the latter category, but it goes deeper than the film itself and i'll get to that.

This film, which is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, is about love, pure and simple, finding it, feeling it, embracing it and having it last until the couple who were lucky enough to have found it are parted by death. It was in the characters of Allie and Noah in their elderly years when they are played by James Garner and Gena Rowlands that I saw, and succumbed...hard, to a painful and all too recent memory of my father slowly watching the love of his life, my mom, disappear before his eyes to cancer.


I didn't get that the first time and I wasn't looking for it, but this time I did get it and it hit me very hard.

I cried for my dad tonight, i'm on the verge of breaking down again right now typing all of this. I didn't start this thread to depress anyone and i'm sorry if I did, I just wanted to express my own personal reason why the film effected me so because it was quite powerful and unexpected to say the least since I had seen the film before.

Now does all of this make The Notebook a good film? You betcha, and I would go so far as to say that it is one of the best love stories ever caught on celluloid. So often love stories are classified as "corney" or "cheesy", I never understood this and I never will, the kind of romance that this film depicts is something that I think we all want to have, I know that I would anyway. It's real and honest, despite being a work of fiction conjured up by a writer.

As you can tell, i'm a hopeless romantic, but i'm okay with that, it allows me to be open to films like this one. If you haven't done so, please give this film a shot, it might surprise you.

 

[Steve...O]

John, this is a great movie with superb and touching performances from Jim Garner and Gena Rowlands. It shows that good roles can be written for the senior acting community. When my wife and I saw it in the theater we just sat in our seats for a few moments after the film ended because we were so moved by what we saw.

I second your recommendation.

Steve

 

[Holadem]

Wuss.

Certainly a chick flick through and through. I was strapped down to a chair and forced to watch this thing, and quite enjoyed it. A beautiful story.

--
H

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

If it were any other film I would agree with you that yes, I am a wuss. However, as i've explained, I was actually crying because of what my dad and I went through with my mom, the film just brought those emotions back to the surface again.

 

[Tim Glover]

This one is great. Missed it in theaters though...rented it and was captivated the entire time. Immediately went out and bought it.

One of 2004's best films.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Another guy here chiming in to say I really enjoyed it as well.
The chemistry between Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling is pretty amazing.
Are they still dating off camera??

 

[Tim Glover]

I hope not.

 

[Josh.C]

Rachel McAdams. Finer than Frog Hair as my ole pappy used to say.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I was so afraid that you guy's were going to make fun of me for bawling after this film.

There's this thing that happens when Rachel speaks, the tip of her nose ever so slightly moves up and down, you can see it plainly in the scene where she and Noah are lying down in the middle of the street talking, that is so sexy to me!

 

[ChrisBEA]

John,
I have not yet seen this, but plan too. I will also say that one movie that gets me everytime, and for the life of me I am not sure why, is Sliding Doors. Each time I see it I end up the same way, tears on my face.

 

[Greg_S_H]

That would seem kind of petty given your reasons. I may check it out myself, or at least recommend it to my mother and/or sister.

 

[Tim Glover]

See it Greg. I think you'll like it. Not perfect, but a very sweet and touching film.

One of those films that is kind of corny but earned the right to be and even on repeated viewings, it still works.

I kind of thought about my Mom alot when we saw the scenes of the older Rachel. Not because of her physical issues, but her look.


John, thanks for starting this thread too.

 

[JohnRice]

Hey guys, didn't it ever occur to some of you, particularly Tim in the last post and John in his oriiginal one, that you are giving up some huge spoilers? Come on guys, there is something of a mystery going on that is part of watching the movie the first time and you are ruining it.

That said, I do like this movie, though I think I shouldn't. I personally find the James Garner, Gena Rowlands scenes less involving. I actually like both the movies based on Sparks' novels (along with A Walk to Remember) though The Notebook is a considerably better made and acted movie overall. One thing I like is that in both of them, the "bad guys" aren't really all that bad annd end up more realistic interesting. Movies typically have these "bad" people, take another Rachel McAdams movie, The Wedding Crashers and look at the difference between the two fiancees. Bradley Cooper plays this absurdely bad guy in Wedding Crashers, but his cointerpart in The Notebook is a really decent guy who actually cares for Allie. I find that much more interesting than these overdrawn, cartoon characters you usually get.

Yes, The Notebook is melodramatic, but there is a reason melodrama is so popular. There is a classic feel to it that typically misses from current movies. If you like it, you definitely should check out some movies by Douglas Sirk.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

I'm glad guys are writing about their emotions. It's good therapy.

 

[Tim Glover]

Thanks for the spanking John. I edited my post. Didn't realize what I wrote was that spoilerific...but I did go back and black it out.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Thanks for the calling out, John, it just didn't occur to me at the time. :b

I spoilerized as well.

 

[RobertW]

you guys all got "Notebooked".

 

[Tim Glover]

:p)

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I guess that's true.