For this issue I was recommended to watch a movie that I normally wouldn’t watch. I took the suggestion and watched “The Notebook” for the first time. Before reviewing the film, a quick overview of the story is in need.

“The Notebook” is the story of Noah and Allie and how their love changes and evolves during the 1940’s and 1950’s. But the story is also about the couple when they are elderly. The elderly Allie has Alzheimer’s disease, which causes her to forget Noah and their love for each other. Though doctors tell him that she’ll never truly remember her past, Noah still decides to read to her every day from his old notebook. Although popular, there are some things about this movie that I didn’t care for.

Most of the early acting during the flashback scenes was rough. It felt like they had barely gone over their scripts prior to filming and their interactions were clunky. Don’t get me wrong, Ryan Gosling is one of my favorite actors, but I didn’t like his Noah until after the war. However, I also didn’t like Rachel McAdams’ Allie.

She was a selfish and inconsiderate character. Yes, she was younger and had to learn from life, but she didn’t care about her fiancé Lon, or Martha. Noah also didn’t seem to care, but he was so fixated on Allie that he would have done literally anything to see her again. He is at fault in this situation, but Allie had moved on and was ready to live a different life while Noah wasn’t. This also seemed to play off of how Allie comes from money and expects things to go her way most of the time.

My other issue with “The Notebook” is that the story focused way too much on the two past events. Both are very important to the story, but we never see any other events that lead up to the present time of Noah and Allie. I would have been more pleased with the film if a montage of the couples relationship and lives up to the present time. Though I have said some less than flattering things about the movie, my favorite parts are when we see the elderly Noah and Allie interact.

That plot point truly tugged at my heartstrings.

I saw a more pure love amongst the two when it could be seen. It was the passion, hope and patience that Noah showed to his forgetting wife. It reminds of what my Uncle Jack will potentially do for my Aunt Diane who also has Alzheimer’s. I’m worried for the both of them, but I know that their love will always be strong just like Noah and Allie’s.

If you like romantic dramas, then “The Notebook” is a film that you should watch. Though I have my issues with it, I still found something that I enjoyed about it.

Hopefully one day we all can have a love that strong.