Whilst living in a care home an elderly man (James Garner) reads to a woman with dementia (Gena Rowlands). The story he tells is a romance between a young man (Ryan Gosling) and woman (Rachel McAdams) in the 1940’s whose class differences threaten their love. 

Despite The Notebook releasing in 2004 I have never watched it. So I decided to embark on a strange double bill of Ryan Gosling characters falling in and out of love. The Notebook immediately followed by Blue Valentine would be a perfect blend of picture perfect romance novel versus gritty realism. 

The Notebook is based on a 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks whose literary success in a particular oeuvre has resulted in eleven of his novels being adapted into films (at the time of writing this at least!). Perhaps the other most famous adaptation being Message In A Bottle featuring Kevin Costner. His specialty is always in the sort of tragic love stories that mythologises the power of love and for some that is life affirming whilst for others it is nausea inducing. 

The Notebook itself plays out exactly as you would expect it to. There are no unexpected twists or turns to unsettle or put you off guard. Ryan Gosling’s Noah is a poor country boy who works at the local lumber mill. One evening at the local fair he is struck by how beautiful Rachel McAdam’s Allie is and does all he can to go on a date with her. They have a whirlwind summer romance but circumstances get in the way of their love. Allie’s rich parents played by Joan Allen and David Thornton do not approve and move her to a university as far away as possible. And then America is embroiled in the war that sends Noah to Europe and makes Allie a nurse. Other impediments such as James Marsden’s dashing soldier also arrive on the scene to complicate matters further. 

The idea of a love so powerful that it will always exist and find a way to join people together is an enticing thing. Here it exists across time, space and health. As to if that makes you feel a magical feeling of wellbeing and surety as you watch or manipulated and force fed schmaltz is entirely down to your sensibility. 

Here it is presented in a glossy idealised version of the world with glamorous and talented actors making every moment believable. James Garner delivers possibly the best performance of the film in one of his final roles. Whilst Gosling and McAdams are entirely believable as the starstruck idealistic young lovers who kiss in the rain.

Personally I found The Notebook to be an entertaining watch that is certainly a highly polished entry into the genre. But it is not something I will find myself returning to.