one of the all-time great romance movies. It’s a tad surprising, too; the film earned lukewarm reviews and was a respectable-if-modest box office success upon its initial release, receiving much in the way of criticism for its melodramatic extremes and tendency to stew in genre clichés.
20 years later, these criticisms still hold water, as “The Notebook” feels like a clumsy foray into saccharine sentimentality and lacks the innate sincerity that more compelling love stories embrace. Before you ready your pitchforks, however, I must admit that Cassavetes’ film knows how to win you over even when you’re aware of its flaws, thanks to the spectacular lead performances that make it worthwhile. Both Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling are electric as Allie and Noah, and they help to elevate a love story so noxious and maudlin that it’s hard not to feel something by the time the credits roll. Regardless of how I feel about “The Notebook,” its legacy lives on, inspiring a thousand copycats that yearn to become memorable romances in their own right.
In 2024, NPR interviewed Monica Castillo, the senior film programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center, who spoke at length about the film’s influence and how it helped shape our expectations of a romantic drama. Castillo opined that “The Notebook” might be a product of its time, but it also features timeless moments that remain relatable:
“It still works as a depiction of messy human relationships. People make mistakes […] But, you know, that movie is a product of its time. It’s a product of its moment. It was clearly trying to capture something in the zeitgeist […] But I think there’s other parts of the movie that still resonate, and it overpowers what might not be as favorable to today’s audiences. But those moments […] like with James Garner and Gena Rowlands, like, that feels very timeless.”
Given the timelessness of “The Notebook,” it is easy to take its existence for granted. But what if I told you that an alternate version of this film could have come to pass — one with a very different director and male lead? Let’s look into it.
