Director: Nick Cassavetes
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams and James Garner
‘A Remarkable Romantic Drama’
Few actors in Hollywood have built a legacy as long-lasting as Ryan Gosling. Following rise to success in the 1990’s, Gosling has appeared in unforgettable movies. With his larger-than-life presence, charisma and sense of humour, Gosling has proven to be a great actor. Gosling’s greatest strength as an actor is his versatility. Whether it’s stories of star-crossed lovers in L.A., silent drivers with little to say or lovers in notebooks parting way, Gosling has proven he has ability to portray various characters in movies today. Through his abilities to create characters that are compelling, the actor has over time gained a huge fan following.
I’m a huge fan of Ryan Gosling and adore the films he has made throughout his illustrious career. However, “The Notebook” is the movie which stands out the most. Released in 2005, Nick Cassavetes’ movie offered a wonderful adaptation of a celebrated novel. Packed with breathtaking production, engaging storytelling and phenomenal performances, it’s a riveting romantic drama period piece. At the centre of it all is a phenomenal performance from Ryan Gosling, who embodies personality of a joyous lover. Although “The Notebook” is undeniably engaging, it isn’t a flawless film. It builds towards a sentimental conclusion that lacks a satisfying resolution. Nevertheless, it’s still far better than most romantic dramas I’ve seen. It provides exhilarating entertainment that fans of Ryan Gosling simply won’t be able to resist.
Based on a celebrated book, “The Notebook” tells a story about a love affair between two people from opposing social classes. Ryan Gosling embodies Noah Calhoun, a boy from an impoverished family. Noah often keeps to himself avoiding any interaction with women from upper-class families. However, Noah’s life forever changes when he falls in love with Ally (Rachel McAdams). Ally is a girl from an upper-class background. Despite their clear differences in social class, Noah and Ally fall madly in love overnight. That being said, social class differences threaten to tear apart their relationship. As Noah and Ally face social class barriers, they question whether their romantic relationship recorded in a notebook will last forever.
Nick Cassavetes is a newcomer to romantic dramas. Before he directed “The Notebook”, Cassavetes had never made a romantic film before. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt adapting a beloved romantic book on the big-screen but he succeeded. Through gorgeous cinematography, Cassavetes captures bonds between two lovers from families differing in social class. Cassavetes successfully uses montages to capture the bonds between two lovers that come from different social classes. For instance, montages elevate the dancing scene. During this memorable scene, Noah and Ally bond together on a beach. Through montages, Cassavetes crafts a pair of lovers whom viewers can easily relate to. Montages are tricky techniques. As Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” suggested, montages elevate old-fashioned musicals. Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” proved montages elevate movies about plastic dolls. Nevertheless, it works tremendously. Through breathtaking visuals, Cassavetes creates a believable romance that’s compelling.
Another admirable aspect of “The Notebook” that deserves appreciation is the production. Cassavetes expertly uses production-design to capture social class disparities between lovers from different families. Throughout the movie, the houses become a strong symbol of social class. Noah lives in a dilapidated run down home showing his poor social status while Ally lives in a luxurious mansion that’s fancy. For instance, production-design of houses elevates the scene where Ally is lectured by her parents to avoid romancing lower-class individuals in their mansion. One admires production design capturing the strong social class disparities between lovers from different families. Through gorgeous sets, Cassavetes captures the hardship lovers from different social classes go through. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. Aaron Zigman’s music gives the movie a romantic atmosphere. Using awe-inspiring production, Cassavetes captures social class differences causing romantic relationships to face destruction.
Storytelling is one of the key reasons why “The Notebook” is an adaptation that’s engaging. The film is beautifully written and successfully uses flashbacks to capture the bonds between two childhood lovers. Cassavetes’ strength as a screenwriter is capturing tensions between two childhood lovers through flashbacks. The film is separated into two distinct timelines: Noah’s past romance with Ally during the 1940’s and his present-day lifestyle in a retirement home for the elderly. Throughout the movie, the elderly Noah recounts memories of how he first fell in love with Ally. Using this ingenious non-linear structure, Cassavetes crafts a love story that’s engaging. Flashbacks are complicated techniques. Robert Zemeckis’ “Forrest Gump” demonstrated that flashbacks elevate historical dramas. As Shane Black’s “The Nice Guys” demonstrated clearly, flashbacks enhance murder mysteries. However, it works extremely in this movie. Using a superb screenplay, Cassavetes celebrates a renowned romantic novel about social class today.
One appreciates astonishing performances.
Ryan Gosling delivers one of his best career performances as Noah Calhoun. Gosling achieved appreciation by playing dancers in Disney television shows. With “The Notebook”, however, he took on his first romantic role. It isn’t easy to embody the personality of a man seeking pursuing romantic relationships with a woman from different social class backgrounds but he succeeds tremendously. With mesmerizing expressions, Gosling embodies the angst, desperation and love-struck personality of a lower-class man seeking pursuing romance. It’s a phenomenal performance which launched the prosperous career of one of the greatest Canadian actors working in Hollywood today.
Rachel McAdams is magnificent as a woman with a joyful personality pursuing romance with men from lower-class families. While Gosling gets the showier role, McAdams is also great playing a woman with a strong goal. As Ally, McAdams uses her powerful voice to create an engaging character that’s compelling. Whether she’s silently flirting in romance with Noah or loudly arguing with her parents about a social class dilemma, McAdams beautifully uses her voice to create a strong female character with charisma. It also helps that she has dazzling chemistry with Gosling that’s convincing. It’s a fantastic performance from one of the finest actresses in Hollywood today.
Despite its excellent performances, however, “The Notebook” can’t quite celebrate the enduring legacy of a legendary book. If there’s a shortcoming to the movie, it lacks an engaging ending. It’s a sentimental conclusion without any satisfying resolutions. It appears intended merely to bring viewers to tears rather than concluding storytelling. Whereas this sentimental ending enhanced Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”, it conflicts with this movie. At worst, it perpetuates the harmful message that lovers can engage in romance from different social classes without facing damage. Romantic dramas succeed based on their compelling conclusions, and in this regard “The Notebook” is a film that falls terribly short of expectations.
Nevertheless, fans of Ryan Gosling will definitely enjoy “The Notebook” and so will movie-goers seeking old-fashioned entertainment. A remarkable romantic drama, it celebrates an actor with charisma that has become an icon in Cinema.
Nearly 20 years following the release of an iconic film about lovers experiencing social class disparities leaving them shook, it’s a powerful reminder of an iconic movie-star that took audiences’ breath away by his abilities to portray compelling characters with an optimistic outlook that has built a lasting legacy in the film industry whose timeless movies definitely without a doubt deserve to be treasured in a notebook.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 