The Notebook (2004)

A poor and passionate young man falls in love with a rich young woman and gives her a sense of freedom. They soon are separated by their social differences.

Director:

Nick Cassavetes

Writers:

Jeremy Leven (screenplay), Jan Sardi (adaptation)

Stars:

Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams

12 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Ivey	...	Rower
Gena Rowlands	...	Allie Calhoun
Starletta DuPois	...	Nurse Esther
James Garner	...	Duke
Anthony-Michael Q. Thomas	...	Nurse Keith
Ed Grady	...	Harry
Renée Amber	...	Nurse at Counter
Jennifer Echols	...	Nurse Selma
Geoffrey Knight	...	Barker
Kevin Connolly	...	Fin
Ryan Gosling	...	Noah
Heather Wahlquist	...	Sara Tuffington
Rachel McAdams	...	Allie
Andrew Schaff	...	Matthew Jamison III
Matt Shelly	...	Seabrook Boy

Storyline

In a nursing home, resident Duke reads a romance story for an old woman who has senile dementia with memory loss. In the late 1930s, wealthy seventeen year-old Allie Hamilton is spending summer vacation in Seabrook. Local worker Noah Calhoun meets Allie at a carnival and they soon fall in love with each other. One day, Noah brings Allie to an ancient house that he dreams of buying and restoring and they attempt to make love but get interrupted by their friend. Allie's parents do not approve of their romance since Noah belongs to another social class, and they move to New York with her. Noah writes 365 letters (A Year) to Allie, but her mother Anne Hamilton does not deliver them to her daughter. Three years later, the United States joins the World War II and Noah and his best friend Fin enlist in the army, and Allie works as an army nurse. She meets injured soldier Lon Hammond in the hospital. After the war, they meet each other again going on dates and then, Lon, who is wealthy and ...

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Plot Keywords:

letter | second chance | summer love | class differences | nursing home | 

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Taglines:

Behind every great love is a great story.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 June 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wie ein einziger Tag

Filming Locations:

Cypress Gardens - 3030 Cypress Gardens Road, Moncks Corner, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$29,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£309,507 (UK) (25 June 2004)

Gross:

$64,286 (USA) (31 October 2014)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Gran Via, Avery Pix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jessica Biel auditioned for the role of Allie.

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Goofs

When Lon proposes to Ali, we see that he has not slid the ring on her finger. It is just resting at the tip of her finger. But when he jumps up a second later to run up to the bandstand, the ring is completely on her finger with not enough time passing for Lon to do so.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nurse Selma: Excuse me. Come on, honey, let's get you ready for bed

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Connections

Referenced in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Gang Gets Analyzed (2012)

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Soundtracks

Sonata No. 19 in G Minor for Piano, Op. 49, No. 1
(1802)
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Robert Thies

User Reviews

SImple but wonderful

This movie seems to be postcard perfect, a lesson straight out of the director's guide to romantic movies. Boy meets girl at a carnival, love from the other side of the tracks, a date by the water, etc. And yet the wonderful thing about this movie is that it takes what seems like a story you've heard already (at least in bits and pieces) and still moves you deeply. It really speaks about love in a way that most romantic movies miss by speaking in cliché or over shoot by adding in numerous complications to dramatize things. There have been other great movies to comment on love in recent years (Eternal Sunshine, Lost In Translation jump to mind) but this movie fills a need that those other movies miss: the need for a straight, sweep you off your feet romance. Too bad there can't be movies like this every year...