Director:
Nick Cassavetes
Cast:
Rachel McAdams……….Young Allie Nelson
Ryan Gosling……….Young Noah Calhoun
Gena Rowlands……….Allie Nelson
James Garner……….Noah Calhoun
Joan Allen……….Allie’s Mother
James Marsden……….Lon
Heather Wahlquist……….Sara Tuffington
Nancy De Mayo……….Mary Allen Calhoun
Sylvia Jefferies……….Rosemary
New Line Cinema presents The Notebook. Written by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi. Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. Running time: 120 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for some sexuality).
First off let me say that I have never read anything by Nicholas Sparks, so I can’t make any comparisons between Notebook the book and Notebook the movie. Now that I have that off my chest I can begin.
As the movie opens, a woman (Gena Rowlands) is peering from an upstairs window to a man rowing a boat in a lake. Her attention is diverted when a stranger (James Garner) carrying a book enters her room. We can see that this woman is staying in a nursing home. We can either deduce that the man is a friend or relative. One of the nurses asks the woman if it is all right if this man could read to her. She agrees.
What happens next can only be compared to Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride. But instead of a grandfather reading a story to his grandson, an old man is reading to a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s.
I’m not spoiling anything by telling you this, but James Garner and Gena Rowlands play the adult versions of the two main characters of The Notebook. For the most part, the film is told in flashback form.
What would you do to impress a girl? Upon being introduced to Allie (Rachel McAdams, Mean Girls), a most refined blonde-haired woman, the blue-collared Noah (Ryan Gosling, Remember the Titans) acts the fool trying to ask her out on a date. Not giving him much of a chance she walks away with a friend of hers.
Their paths would cross again on the night of the town’s summer carnival. So acting the fool didn’t help Noah’s chances with Allie. This time he goes off the deep end and climbs up a Ferris wheel while Allie is riding it with her date. Holding onto a support beam Noah gives her an ultimatum, “Go out with me.” After much debate she reluctantly agrees. They do and they fall head over heels for each other. And they both lived happily ever after…well, not quite.
With most romances comes conflict. This story is no different. Allie’s parents don’t approve of Noah, the would-be suitor. Allie and Noah are constantly fighting with one another. When Allie moves away after the summer she starts a new life; gone is Noah. The suitor replacing him is a strapping young lad named Lon (James Marsden) who Allie meets while working as a nurse. Everything changes when Allie sees a picture of Noah in a newspaper and rekindles her feelings for her old flame. Man, isn’t love grand.
Notice the director’s name while watching the credits. Some of you may intrinsically think of legendary director John Cassavetes. Well that is Nick’s father. And like his father, Nick has a flare for film. Earlier in his career he had bit acting parts â?? like starring opposite Charlie Sheen as the town thug in the B-grade sci-fi racer flick The Wraith. Prior to this feature he directed John Travolta and Sean Penn in She’s So Lovely. That was a good romance that appealed to an older audience, but The Notebook is an excellent romantic yarn that both young and old couples will enjoy.
THE VIDEO
Thumbs up to New Line Cinema and their video transfers. This film may be an “Infinifilm”-type release, but this “Platinum Series” DVD is up to snuff. The lavish scenery of South Carolina added to the lighting and coloring of the scenes made for a nice, crisp transfer. The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic widescreen.
THE AUDIO
It’s nice to know that there is a graphic in the DVD Set Up options that states “Audio optimized for DVD.” Well, I should hope so, or I would think the studio just didn’t care about this home video release.
There are a few explosions when Noah is fighting in World War II that reverberate through your sound system. Overall, though, it is the music of Billie Holiday and Benny Goodman and composer Aaron Zigman’s score that you’ll remember. So much so that you may have to grab a tissue for significant other. You have the option of listening to the film in 5.1 Surround Sound or Stereo Surround Sound. English or Spanish subtitles are also available.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The sleeper hit of 2004 gets the proper treatment by New Line Cinema. The first supplement is a collection of 12 deleted/alternate scenes. The scenes are a finished product appearing in widescreen and without the grainy picture or running time code. Running a little over 28 minutes, most of the scenes were rightly cut from the film. Listening to the commentary by novelist Nicholas Evans you get a better understanding of why the scenes were cut. The best anecdotes involve the two love scenes between Noah and Allie. The second lovemaking act gave director Nick Cassavetes and crew a lot of problems. They had to submit the scene four times to the MPAA.
The commentary with Director Nick Cassavetes is a good listen. Sitting in a room by himself, Cassavetes goes from start to finish chatting about The Notebook. As you listen to his track you get a sense that there isn’t a single person associated with this film that he didn’t like. If you don’t, listen to it again. He says it at least a dozen times.
The commentary with Novelist Nicholas Sparks has a literary feel. Here Sparks does a comparison between the novel and the film. He speaks highly of everyone involved and so he should. His discussions about the characters of Noah and Allie are introspective, providing fodder for aspiring writers who are still stuck on a character outline. Sparks also gives anecdotes about his own life, his childhood.
The next featurettes may seem like lighthearted fluff pieces, but they worked.
For All in the Family: Nick Cassavetes (11:37), the director and cast discuss the making of The Notebook. Nothing earth shattering is revealed but it left me with this little nugget of movie trivia: I had no idea Nick Cassavetes directed John Q. I guess it wasn’t as memorable as Noah and Allie’s romance.
Nicholas Sparks: A Simple Story, Well Told (6:35) showcases the pharmaceutical representative turned novelist. Both the CEO and Publisher for the Time Warner Book Group give their two cents about Nicholas Sparks. Prior to this film I had no idea who Nicholas Sparks was. Then I read somewhere that he wrote Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember, both of which were made into films. Still, I had never seen a picture of him. So after I listened to his commentary while watching the deleted/alternate scenes, I watched this feature. His voice makes him seem like a man in his fifties, but much to my chagrin the writer is much younger. That’s perception for you.
Southern Exposure: Locating The Notebook (11:31) was the best of the three featurettes. If you live in frigid area you will be green with envy. Because this is a feature that allows the viewer to tour the houses and townships of South Carolina. The locals around North Charleston are verdant with trees, the mansions grand.
There is a casting featurette on Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling and a screen test by Rachel. The screen test is a knockout. First, footage is shown from the film setting up a confrontation between Ryan and Rachel’s characters. Then it cuts to a medium shot of Rachel as she delivers her lines. No script in hand, Rachel goes full force. Her character is so distraught that she almost cries.
The theatrical trailer, an endorsement for the soundtrack, and DVD-ROM features (i.e., a script-to-screen feature) round out the extras for the New Line Platinum Series release for The Notebook.
THE INSIDE PULSE
This film may play off its schmaltziness, but it works. It was one of those little films that should have been usurped by the rest of the summertime releases. But it found a diverse audience. Keep and eye out for both Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams – both perfectly cast for the roles of Noah and Allie. They have that “it” factor and are definitely two stars on the rise in Hollywood. Just the thought of knowing Ashley Judd and Tom Cruise were interested in starring in The Notebook makes me cringe.
The Inside Pulse
This film may play off its schmaltziness, but it works. It was one of those little films that should have been usurped by the rest of the summertime releases. But it found a diverse audience. Keep and eye out for both Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams – both perfectly cast for the roles of Noah and Allie. They have that “it” factor and are definitely two stars on the rise in Hollywood. Just the thought of knowing Ashley Judd and Tom Cruise were interested in starring in The Notebook makes me cringe.
