The Notebook
reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell & Brian "The Naked Gun" Felts
Nick Cassavettes, who directed one of my favorite pictures from two years ago being "John Q," looks
to make yet another mark in his resume of high quality pictures. However, yes "The Notebook" is high
quality made, but poor quality in material. Jan Sardi, who broke into adaptation screenwriting with
"Shine," also one of my contemporary favs, gives this story no life or sentiment which it may have
deserved.
Never before in a movie was I able to predict what scene was coming immediately after the
previous as much as I did in "The Notebook." The film was one of the most predictably mundane
and contrived works I've ever seen in the theaters since "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
(Oops, now I'm going to hell for saying something bad about a Spielberg picture).
Conversations between the main characters went from childish, which worked while they were in
their teens, to just plain uninspiring, remaining so even late in the film.
Even from the main title sequence, I quickly got a grasp of what kind of movie I was in for and
it lived up to every expectation.
"The Notebook" is about, yes, this notebook which James Garner reads to this old lady about
the kids, Noah and Allie, while they fall in love over one summer despite their different
financial backgrounds.
As we get to know the characters, we realize the old broad has memory problems and Garner is
the older self of Noah. She is obviously Allie. Now you may be upset that I just gave the
hook of the movie away, but trust me…this is no unforeseen hook. Extremely predictable, as
I say and I'm not ruining anything for potential viewers, what little of them may still be out
there.
Ryan Gosling (Murder By Numbers), as Noah, also did an ample job, but there seemed to be little
going on upstairs.
Best part of the movie was a solid moment James Garner had as older Noah as he watches older
Allie fall into a state of "Who are you? Where am I?" It was very powerful for him and maybe
even worth a supporting actor Academy Award nomination. I have never seen Garner expose himself
to an audience like that before, and no that doesn't mean he walks around with his bathrobe open.
The best performance of the picture comes from Jamie Brown, whose film career is outweighed by her
TV spots, with her two scenes as Noah's new love interest. She is somehow unrequited cause Allie
comes to visit and thus has plenty of complexity within her inner dialogue and tears up the screen
for her meager time. I'm looking forward to seeing more from her down the road.
My last word on this picture is, if you enjoy Nicholas Sparks novels, you should enjoy this.
If you like originality, believability and realistic warmth versus sentimentality in your movies,
then steer clear of this one. It bakes a nice cake with perfect frosting and also sorts of shit
on top, but when you bite into is, it's hallow and annoying.
Sparks' novels have also spawned such other lively contrived romance movies as "A Walk to
Remember" and "Message in a Bottle." If you liked those, see "The Notebook." Otherwise,
just stay home and rub yourself. It's far more entertaining.
Benn - Where's the Humanity?
I saw this movie the same weekend I saw Aliens vs. Predator, and if you read my review for that
movie you can understand what a disappointing movie going weekend this was. I wont say this is
the worst movie I have seen this year, title still goes to Cold Mountain, but if I had to see a
movie and my choices were The Notebook and Aliens vs. Predator, I would buy a ticket to A.v.P and
sit in the lobby and watch the people walk by.
James Garner is the only reason why I did not walk out of this movie. It is the best acting I
have ever seen him do and it should get him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. If he wasn't on
the screen, I wasn't paying attention. In the beginning of the movie I was hoping for some female
nudity, but after the first sex scene I realized that this was a chick flick and we don't get full
frontal nudity, at least from a woman, in these kinds of films.
If you are a women and like this sentimental, romantic, why can't my husband/boyfriend be like
that, then you will love The Notebook. If you are a guy I imagine you wont see this movie
unless you are with your girlfriend/wife and in that case you should be able to get some good
sex afterwards at home unless you screw it up and tell her how much you truly hated the movie.
Which brings me to an important point, on behalf of Benn and Jason and myself, Brian, I would
like to apologize to the woman who was crying outside of the bathroom of the movie theater.
We were waiting for Jason's wife to come out of the bathroom and the three of us were laughing
and making fun of the movie pretty harshly. We did not notice you standing there still in tears
from the end of the movie and had we have known you were crying about the movie, we wouldn't have
been such insensitive bastards about the flick. I'm Sorry. To the husband of the wife, I
certainly hope we didn't ruin your chances for getting laid, and if we did, I am again sorry.
I can think of nothing else to say about this movie, other than I hope Mr. Garner gets his
Academy Award nomination for this. Thank you, and again, on behalf of the three of us, I
apologize. Brian - The Naked Gun
Once again, American executives have determined the general viewing audience was once again
ready for another film adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. This time around, it's "The Notebook."
Rachel McAdams (The Hot Chick, Mean Girls) is handed a role far too above her ability as the
young incarnation of Allie. Generally, she did the part proper and she's very cute and loveable
to look at. However, the story is centered around her strife to follow her heart and breakaway
from her upper class upbringing. Later in the picture, she must choose between the guy she wants
and the guys she SHOULD marry. I never cared for either of them. Point being, she has many
complex scenes that never hit center. She either overplayed them or her performance was too
subtle.