The Notebook

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2:13

The Notebook

PG-13

Released Jun 25, 2004

2h 4m

Romance

Drama

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Popcornmeter

54%

Tomatometer

183 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

In 1940s South Carolina, mill worker Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and rich girl Allie (Rachel McAdams) are desperately in love. But her parents don't approve. When Noah goes off to serve in World War II, it seems to mark the end of their love affair. In the interim, Allie becomes involved with another man (James Marsden). But when Noah returns to their small town years later, on the cusp of Allie's marriage, it soon becomes clear that their romance is anything but over.

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Critics Consensus

It's hard not to admire its unabashed sentimentality, but The Notebook is too clumsily manipulative to rise above its melodramatic clichés.

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Scott Tobias

AV Club

In a romance where paradise is a duck-filled pond, it helps to be mild-mannered.

Feb 2, 2019

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Dentistry in the Renaissance could not have been more painful than watching this.

Rated: 1/5

Feb 2, 2019

Full Review

Leslie Felperin

Times (UK)

A honey-dipped love story with a surprisingly tart aftertaste, The Notebook is a better-than-you'd-expect adaptation of Nicholas Sparks's bestselling novel of the same name.

Feb 2, 2019

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Mary Kassel

Screen Rant

Romance might not be for everyone, but after more than 20 years, The Notebook holds an undeniable appeal that will convert every cynic.

Rated: 7/10

Apr 9, 2025

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Patricia Karounos

Refinery29

The Notebook is one of those movies that is so sad, you could break out into tears just thinking about it.

Oct 23, 2023

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Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

A tearjerker? It'll make you cry but it's not manipulative. A chick flick? It's just an inspiring love story that will touch your heart and make you believe true love can last a lifetime and conquer all. Isn't that what we all want?

Rated: 4/5

Apr 21, 2023

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Shayla

Your review will help others decide whether to watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/25/21

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Barbara R

This movie is even more poignant because the wonderful "Old" Allie (Gena Rowlands) died of Alzheimers disease. She was incredible. I also wanted to kiss the nurse that told "old" Noah she was stepping out for coffee.....bending the rules for him. I have seen this movie several times, and each time I tell myself I absoltely won't cry.........ugh......don't miss it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/03/25

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Alya N

Allie is messed up, she is pretty, smart and rich, but it doesn’t mean she can hurt men over her, dia bisa mendapatkan semua yang dia mau tanpa perlu bersusah payah, the world is kind for someone like her, dia juga masih childish bahkan cheating when she had a perfect husband, that’s a no for me, but overall dari alur yang tidak membosankan, scene pengambilan gambar, suasana, palauan bahkan hal detail pun di perhatikan

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/03/25

Full Review

Catherine R

Okay, I absolutely love this movie. Haven't read the book BUT I will say that Allie had a complicated relationship with her mother, otherwise she wouldn't have hid Noah's letters from her. I get that she wanted the absolute best for her daughter but that was not okay what she did. Nor was it okay for Allie to cheat on her fiance with her first love. That, I can't say I'm too proud of. I respect the crap out of her fiance for how he saw the situation. Like hats off to how handled it maturely. He couldn't yelled at Allie and threatened to kill Noah. He did say it wasn't an option but the fact that he chose not to just because he just wanted to be with Allie, like that's incredibly noble of him. So I respect that choice. I do support that Allie did eventually make up her mind and choose who she would be with. Like the heart wants what it wants in the end. Chicken flick? Very well could be. Sad? Absolutely. Adventure, love and romance? Of course. But that doesn't make it a chicken flick. I think sometimes people mistake "chicken flicks" for girl movies that aren't that great but they watch them anyway. Typically a "chicken flick" is a rom-com. But some men like those too. They're just too macho to say so. That is all.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/24/25

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Junitssa

I can’t watch it today i missed can u guys put the movie again in the theater pls

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/10/25

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T

One of the best romance stories of all time! I could watch this movie a million times!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/02/25

Full Review

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Nick Cassavetes

Director

Ryan Gosling

Noah Calhoun

Rachel McAdams

Allie Hamilton

James Garner

Duke

Gena Rowlands

Allie Calhoun

James Marsden

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Synopsis

In 1940s South Carolina, mill worker Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and rich girl Allie (Rachel McAdams) are desperately in love. But her parents don't approve. When Noah goes off to serve in World War II, it seems to mark the end of their love affair. In the interim, Allie becomes involved with another man (James Marsden). But when Noah returns to their small town years later, on the cusp of Allie's marriage, it soon becomes clear that their romance is anything but over.

Director: Nick Cassavetes
Producer: Mark Johnson, Lynn Harris
Screenwriter: Nick Cassavetes, Jeremy Leven, Nicholas Sparks, Jan Sardi
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Avery Pix
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sexuality)
Genre: Romance, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 25, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $81.0M
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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