Casey Clark: The Notebook

Casey Clark
Ms. Taylor
AP English
12 February 2012

The Notebook: Argument of Evaluation

After winning eleven awards and being nominated for seven others, The Notebook continues to be a popular movie pick for not only the romance lover, but for anyone who is looking for a great movie. Staring Ryan Gosling and Rachel Mcadams, The Notebook (2004) is directed by Nick Cassavetes, and tells a story that is unforgettable.

The story starts off with an elderly man (James Garner) reading to an elderly women (Gena Rowlands) in hope of recovering her fading memory due to dementia. The man comes everyday and reads from a notebook about a girl named Allie, who is vacationing in Seabrook along with her rich parents. The story also focuses on a hard working, local boy named Noah. They meet one night at the town’s fair, and Allie unwillingly agrees to go on a date with him. After going out a few times, the two become inseparable and do everything together. But as their relationship grows serious, Allie’s parents do not approve of her spending time with Noah, and they try everything they can to break them up. Allie’s mother even goes to the extent of moving the family back to their house sooner than planned, and by intercepting letters written by Noah to Allie. As the point of view switches from Garner and Rowlands, to Allie and Noah, their story is unfolded and left for the audience to experience. The movie causes the audience to go from laughing to crying, and then back to laughing, and ultimately ending in crying; this emotional rollercoaster of a movie is one of a kind. This is why The Notebook can be entitled the best romance movie.

A romance film can be defined as, “a love story that focuses on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through the courtship or marriage” (Wikipedia).  The Notebook delivers all of these elements in an efficient manner that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, and in desired to know what will happen next.

Passion and emotion can be explicitly seen between Noah and Allie throughout the whole movie. But in one critical scene Noah declares, “I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day” (Cassavetes). Through this, Noah is able to communicate with Allie just how much she means to him, and how he will always want her, no matter what. This becomes a major factor in Allie’s decision of who she should spend the rest of her life with. But Allie and Noah’s passion and emotions for one another does not stop there. Noah is once again able to reassure Allie of his love as he states, “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird” (Cassavetes). By telling Allie this, it gives her hope that no matter where she goes in live, or who she becomes, Noah will always be there for her. This becomes important later on in the movie when Allie decides to return to Seabrook in order to check up on Noah. The passion and emotion in this movie not only helps to create the best romance film, but it also expresses the idea that true love has no limits.

As Allie and Noah grow old together, the audience learns that Allie is the elderly woman who has dementia, and Noah is the elderly man who reads their life story to help her remember all that they went through. The idea that love has no limits can once again be seen as The Notebook provides evidence of “affectionate involvement of the main characters” (Wikipedia).  When Noah and Allie’s children come to visit them, Allie has no idea of who they are. But when she goes to take a nap, his children ask Noah why he continues to read her the story, and Noah explains, “Look, guys. That’s my sweetheart in there. I’m not leaving her. This is my home now. Your mother is my home” (Cassavetes). With word choices such as “I’m not leaving her” and “that’s my sweetheart,” the audience is able to get a strong understand of just how much Allie means to Noah. It also goes to show the affection between the main characters, even though Allie is not always able to return the love. As the flashbacks continue, the audience is left with a scene of the older versions of Allie and Noah. The couple lies in bed talking about their life together. As Allie relentlessly asks Noah questions he answers them with one answer: “I think our love can do anything we want it to” (Cassavetes). With this being one of the last sentences of the movie, it is intended to create a feeling of comfort and love between the two characters and the audience.

However, the movie would not have achieved the feelings of passion and emotion if it was not for the casting. Rachel Mcadams and Ryan Gosling are the perfect people to act out the roles of Allie and Noah. In every scene the audience can clearly see that they are putting their hearts and souls into the characters. Rachel Mcadams shows a different side to herself then she has in previous roles and through this, the audience realizes that she can be more than just a “mean girl.” Ryan Gosling also continues to do a fantastic job in winning the heart of not only Allie, but of the audience as well.   

Overall, The Notebook is without a doubt the best romance film. With appeals to passion, emotions, and affectionate involvement of the main characters, Nick Cassavetes, Ryan Gosling, and Rachel Mcadams all work flawlessly together to create this work of art.

Works Cited:

The Notebook. By Nick Cassavetes. Ryan Gosling, Rachel Mcadams. 2004.

Wikipedia. Romance Film. 9 February 2012. 12 February 2012    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_film>.