Movies are rated on
a Scale of 1 to 4 stars with 4 stars being best.
By Edgar "El
Toro" Arce
RATING:
Starring: Ryan
Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands, James Marsden,
Kevin Connolly, with Sam Shepard and Joan Allen. Based on the
Best Selling novel “The Notebook” written by Nicholas
Sparks. Adapted by Jan Sardi and Directed by Nick Cassavetes.
Rated PG-13 - for some
sexuality.
There’ve
been many different love stories done in Hollywood that are classics.
Casablanca, An officer and a gentleman, Gone with the wind, and
the list goes on and on. The Notebook, which is based on the bestselling
novel written by Nicholas Sparks, has it all. Love conquering
all, an over protective mother, a loving father, and summer love.
In
the beginning of the film we are introduced to James Garner, Duke,
and he is at an older folk’s home reading to a woman, Gena
Rowlands. Garner visits with this woman everyday and reads to
her from this faded book about the story of two young lovers.
Now it’s told to us that this woman has dementia, and that
she cannot remember who she is, but has little moments when her
memory comes back while hearing these stories.
The movie jumps back and forth
from current day, with Garner and Rowlands, and back in time as
he continues to tell the story. In the past, Ryan Gosling plays
Noah, and Rachel McAdams plays Allie. These two actors have chemistry
galore! The moment these two begin to interact with one another,
you know its going to be dynamite. Gosling is very free spirited,
and courageous, while McAdams character just wants to live her
own life.
As
in other love stories, McAdams character, Allie is everything
proper. Her family is wealthy and very stuffy. They look like
the type of family that rather than getting together for a BBQ,
they play polo instead. The tension between the two young lovers
is given a nice antagonist in the form of Allie’s mom played
brutally by Joan Allen. When this woman is done with her scenes
in the movie it’s like someone kicked all the steam out
of you! She is brilliantly bitchy in this film!
On the flip side, Noah, Ryan
Gosling, has a father in the movie played by Sam Shepard, and
he is everything you want in a pop. He literally welcomes Allie
into his house open arms, and when Noah comes back from being
away at war, he showers him with love and a special gift that
plays big in the story’s conclusion.
Any
how, the family tries hard to keep these two apart, even going
as far as hiding love letters that are sent to Allie, and even
getting Allie to marry a poor unsuspecting war vet played by James
Marsden, of X-men fame.
The notebook has its flaws here
and there, and probably could have been shorter by 30 minutes,
but all in all it’s a very nice romance story. It definitely
will have its work cut for itself competing against Harry Potter,
Shrek, and Spiderman 2. I think it should be given a chance, just
for the performances alone. McAdams is genius, Gosling is moving,
and by golly, James garner can act! There are plenty more great
performances in this movie, so support it for that and that alone.
As for being unique, it’s no different that the love stories
I mentioned earlier. The only twist in this one is whether or
not Garner and Rowlands are the lovers that he keeps reading about.
I won’t try and fool you , but you can probably figure that
one out for yourself, or can you? So grab your popcorn, and soda,
and your hunny, and catch a matinee.
In
the beginning of the film we are introduced to James Garner, Duke,
and he is at an older folk’s home reading to a woman, Gena
Rowlands. Garner visits with this woman everyday and reads to
her from this faded book about the story of two young lovers.
Now it’s told to us that this woman has dementia, and that
she cannot remember who she is, but has little moments when her
memory comes back while hearing these stories.
As
in other love stories, McAdams character, Allie is everything
proper. Her family is wealthy and very stuffy. They look like
the type of family that rather than getting together for a BBQ,
they play polo instead. The tension between the two young lovers
is given a nice antagonist in the form of Allie’s mom played
brutally by Joan Allen. When this woman is done with her scenes
in the movie it’s like someone kicked all the steam out
of you! She is brilliantly bitchy in this film! 
Any
how, the family tries hard to keep these two apart, even going
as far as hiding love letters that are sent to Allie, and even
getting Allie to marry a poor unsuspecting war vet played by James
Marsden, of X-men fame.