Starring: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands, James Marsden, Joan Allen, Sam Shepard, David Thornton, Kevin Connelly
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
PG-13. 124 mins
Like Titanic, The Notebook is enjoyed best when you let yourself be swept away in the chemistry between the leads and ignore all the syrupy cliches. Based on Nicholas Spark’s novel, it’s the story of Noah Calhoun (James Garner) – an old man living in a nursing home who reads to a female patron (Gena Rowlands) with memory loss. Each day he recounts the story of two young lovers (Gosling and McAdams) who were separated by World War II and the traditional family politics of rich vs poor. It’s a tearjerker that pales in comparison to the similar British film, Iris, but the spirit behind the story is what seperates this romance from so many others these days. If only Sparks could realize that his novels don’t need to literally ring out the audience like a towel for each and every tear they have just to make for a good story – * * *
Celluloid Dreams 