The Notebook

 

I originally did not have intentions to watch the movie back then. I did not even know that such movie existed. I was alone. I was reading poster ads outside the cinema house when I felt a tap at my back. When I turned around, I saw somebody smiled at me and asked if I was interested to watch “The Notebook,” which was not really the movie ad I was reading (It was next to it!). She was alone. I did not answer right away for I was not certain that I know her. She grinned again and said she was my classmate’s younger sister. I guessed she is, and so I said, “Sure, I’m excited.” LOL! We watched the movie together. Anyway, here is the movie plot.

The film opens with an elderly man reading out of a notebook to an elderly woman about a story between two young lovers, Allie and Noah. The story dates back to the summer of 1940 in Seabrook, South Carolina. Allie Hamilton is a girl from a wealthy family spending summer in Seabrook. At a carnival, Allie meets Noah Calhoun, a local boy who works at the lumber mill. Over the summer, their romance blooms and they spend every waking moment together.

Allie and Noah soon break up, but immediately regret the decision. Allie's family leaves Seabrook the next day and Noah, devastated, writes her one letter every day for a year plus one last farewell letter. He never hears back from her because her mother hides all the letters. After Allie doesn't reply to his goodbye letter, Noah decides to move on and he moves to Atlanta and later enlisted as army for World War II.

While in college, Allie volunteers as a nurse's aide for wounded soldiers and meets the injured Lon Hammond, Jr. — a young man who is handsome, charming, and from a wealthy, old Southern United States family who own Hammond Cotton. To the joy of Allie's parents, they become engaged; meanwhile, Noah returns home. Noah's father greets him and informs Noah that he is selling his current house so that Noah can purchase the old Windsor Plantation (the old abandoned house). Noah restores the old house, believing that if he keeps his promise to her, Allie will come back. Once he is finished, Noah tries to sell it, but cannot part with it.

While trying on her wedding dress amongst family and friends, Allie reads about Noah's house in the paper and faints. Upon some deep thinking, she decides to visit him. They talk and have dinner. They reminisce on their memories together and when it is time for Allie to leave, Noah asks Allie to come back tomorrow for a surprise. The next day, Noah takes Allie out on the lake in a canoe to a nice setting amongst ducks and they begin to talk. On the way back after reaching port, Allie gets upset and demands to know why Noah never wrote to her. Noah tells her he wrote to her every day for one year. He says to her "It wasn't over, It still isn't over." He pulls her face to his and starts to kiss her, and they make love. After two days of passion, Allie’s mother appears while Noah is out and says that Lon has followed her to Seabrook. Allie's mother takes Allie for a drive and explains how she too once had a summer romance, and that she still watches her ex-lover sometimes. They drive back to Noah's house, and he is sitting on the porch. She hands her daughter the bundle of 365 letters that Noah had written, saying that she hopes Allie makes the right choice. She drives away and Allie goes to sit on the porch with Noah. He tells her that if she really wants to be with Lon, then she should go, because he lost her once and could do it again. Confused, Allie drives off.

 Distraught, Allie stops her car, reads Noah's goodbye letter, and then drives to the hotel where Lon is staying. Lon says that he has three choices: Kill Noah, beat him, or leave Allie. He says that none of them let him keep her, and that he loves her. She says she knows she should be with Lon, but she wants to be with Noah.
At which we are transported back to present day, where the elderly Noah and Allie sit in his room, and he says, "And they lived happily ever after," which makes Allie remember who she is and what happened: Allie appears at Noah's doorstep, and they embrace. Present day Allie and Noah embrace as well. A few years before, after finding out about her impending dementia, she wrote their story in the notebook with instructions for Noah inside: "The story of our lives, by Allie Calhoun. Read this to me, and I'll come back to you."

The next morning, Noah is found unconscious in bed, and he is rushed to the hospital. He goes to Allie's room later that night, and they start talking about how they are/were in love. Soon Allie remembers who they are, they fall asleep together and die in their sleep holding hands.

 

This is certainly the best love story ever told. The other stories by Nicholas Sparks are in fact really beautiful. “The Notebook” is very romantic without being overly dramatic. The simple dramas are the ones that could really move us to tears.

The movie is well-groomed. It has good materials and the actors justified them (Rachel McAdams

However, there are no great reviews about the movie. Only a few critics applaud the movie. There are no good ratings for the movie's freshness. But for me this is a very good movie. It may not be my most favorite romantic film but it is certainly unforgettable. I am only an average movie goer and I rate this movie 9.5 of 10, almost excellent. Besides, I could find myself watching this movie several times and not be sick of doing so. Try it!

For more readings, try these links.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332280/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/notebook/